Kingdom Hearts: Reconnect
by CrimsonMagi94
Summary: Hikari never imagined her life as anything but normal. Not even when her mother dropped her off on Destiny Islands and vanished without so much a word as to why. But now, six months later and after a chance encounter on the beach, she'll soon find her past called into question, and must set on a journey to find the answers she seeks. No O.C/Character pairings.
1. Prologue

So, this story will feature . No, they will not be Mary Sues. Those can all die in a fire. Also, still a bit iffy on pairings (as in I'm not pushing for any in this particular story), but I can assure that there will be no main character/O.C stuff, because I'm not terribly fond of that. This particular 'chapter' is also going to be rather short. More like a preview than an actual chapter, actually.

Still, I hope you enjoy it. :)

* * *

Prologue

There are some things in this universe that are best left forgotten.

_"You are strong, but still ignorant if that is what you truly think. All things are connected. There are no such things as coincidences."_

_ "So what does that have to do with me?"_

_ "My dear . . . it has everything to do with you."_

But those forgotten things are sometimes found.

_"Who are you?"_

_ "I guess you could call me 'your answer', if we want to be mysterious about it."_

_ "Okay, 'my answer', what do you mean?"_

_ "I'm an answer to your past. An answer to your future. And an answer to your power." _

Another journey is about to begin.

_"What _is_ a keyblade?"_

A journey that could decide the fate of all the worlds.

_"You could decide the outcome of this entire war with your power! Why aren't you using it?"_

_ "Because that's exactly what he wants!"_

And as light and dark begin to clash . . .

"_You think you can run, but there is no escaping your fate!"_

_ "Guys, LOOK OUT!"_

_ "AAAH!"_

_ "SORA!"_

A new enemy rises from the ashes and threatens it all.

_"This system of theirs has so far failed. They try and stem the darkness, and it only grows worse. You need only to look at their past endeavors to see the evidence." _

_ "So what is your solution?"_

_ "Regulation. An Order to end this charade of heroism and apply that power where it may actually accumulate some results."_

_ "Ha-ha-ha. You know as well as I do that they will not simply submit to this Order should you offer them this choice."_

_ "Choice? Sir, I never said anything about a 'choice'."_

It is time . . .

_"Hikari."_

_ " . . . Mom?"_

**Kingdom Hearts**

**Reconnect**

* * *

. . . Mhm.

Rate & Review, if it strikes your fancy. First chapter will be up soon.


	2. Dawn of a New Adventure

So, chapter 1. Story will be told in first-person narrative. Also imagine updates will be relatively slow as I am working on other things (stories) as well as school. Hurrah.

Still, I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

Dawn of A New Adventure

Ten minutes. That's all I wanted that morning. Just ten extra minutes of snoozing that day before getting up to face the usual grind of school. But life's unfair, as I'd come to find out in the recent months, so I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised when instead of ten minutes of extra, undisturbed sleep there was the intrusive noise of someone loudly knocking on my door before it was (brutally) flung open with an equally loud voice proclaiming, "HEY, WAKE UP HIKARI OR WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!"

The lights flickered on, and I groaned and sluggishly rolled over to face the wall, stubbornly pulling the sheets around my shoulders. That didn't fly with the annoying she-devil standing in the doorway though, and I winced when I heard the sound of feet tromping closer to my bedside. Hands curled into the fabric and attempted to rip the sheets off of me, but I held on and absolutely refused to let go.

There was a disgruntled growl, "Ya know, if you weren't so stubborn all the time, maybe you'd-"

The demon behind me attempted to pull the sheets off again only to be met with more resistance before she dropped the sheets in frustration and finished with a huff, "-have a boyfriend by now!"

"Go away," I mumbled.

"No," was her response.

"Go away, Mari," I said again, this time with a bit more steel.

"Does this have to do with what Kobu said yesterday? Look, I know he's a bona-fide jerk, but you've gotta ignore what those types of people say, seriously," Mari said, no doubt placing her hands on her hips in that oh-so cheeky way she does.

"Not Kobu," I mumbled again, keeping my eyes shut.

I heard Mari sigh, "If its not Kobu, then what?"

"Bad day. Don't wanna move," I said, though by this point I knew I wasn't going to get back to blissful sleep. Damn it.

Mari was silent for a moment before realization dawned on her, "Oooooh. That. Come on, it's only been six months, she'll come back."

With an agitated sigh, I rolled onto my back and glanced at the girl standing by my bed. Mari was already wearing the standard school uniform, no surprise there. She had always been an early riser. Her hair had been pulled up into her signature twin ponytails, her favorite orange bows holding the golden strands in place. It was a look I thought was a little immature for her sixteen years of living, but I guess that was just Mari. Her hands were placed on her hips and there was a warm smile on her face, a look she gave anyone who she thought needed a little cheering up. No doubt to give me a little boost out of my slump.

But that wasn't going to work. Not today, "Six months Mari. I think normal mothers would have at least called by now."

"Oh, I'm sure she's got a good reason. After all, she gave you that bracelet when she left, right?" Mari asked, gesturing to the gleaming chain around my right wrist.

Lifting my arm, I gave the bracelet a once over. It was a sturdy, silver-grey chain, with pretty much no embellishments save for a small circular plate emblazoned with an anvil, of all things, dangling off the side. I grunted, "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, it's like a promise! A promise that she'll come back!" Mari said, only to receive a confused look from me.

"A promise?" I asked, eyebrows raised, "Really?"

"Yeah, like a secret, mommy promise!" Mari explained.

"A secret mommy promise," I parroted, giving her an 'are you serious' look.

"Yeah, now you got it!" Mari smiled, my snarky comment flying right over her head, as usual.

Then her smile got wider, and a twinkle appeared in her hazel eyes, "Now get up!"

The blankets on my body were quite suddenly yanked off by Mari's ninja-like hands, the cold morning air very quickly returning me to my full senses.

I sat bolt upright, making a grab for the stolen sheets that Mari kept just out of my reach, "Mari, give those back."

"Nuh-uh," she said, childishly sticking her tongue out at me.

"Are you girls ready yet?" A voice called from downstairs, a voice I recognized as belonging to Mrs. Mikozo, the mother of the house. Mari grinned and cheekily answered, "Almost Mom! Just dragging the dragon out of bed!"

"Well, tell the dragon to hurry up or you're going to school without breakfast!" Was Mrs. Mikozo's warning. A warning which instantly got Mari up in arms.

"Did you hear that?! If you don't hurry up, we won't get to eat, so HURRY UP!" Mari demanded, chucking the uniform I had laid out the night before at me before bolting down the stairs. With my blankets. Still in her hands.

Great, now how was I supposed to make the bed?

Sighing at her overly-energetic antics, I swung my legs off the bed and placed my feet on the cool hardwood floor of my room. I'd only lived in it for six months, and it definitely showed, what with it's sparse walls and single bed. Although, that may have also been, in part, my refusal to decorate it in any way, shape, or form. Mari had tried time and again to get me to at least put a poster on the wall, but I was adamant. Adamant because I didn't want the room to feel like home.

It wasn't her fault, not at all, and it was kind enough of Mari's family to even give me my own room in the first place. I just wish I knew why I was even here to begin with.

But now I was just brooding, and I had a breakfast to get too before a certain someone decided I was better off dead. Yawning, I got up and gave myself a leisurely stretch. It always felt nice to get the blood flowing. I quickly pulled on my school uniform, brushing it out to smooth away the wrinkles before going to the bathroom to freshen up.

After brushing my teeth and quickly running a brush through my hair, I slipped on one of my favorite accessories; a purple headband with a small crystal embedded at the center of a lacy, off-centered bow. I wasn't usually one for fashion, but I liked the color, and it looked good when paired together with my black hair. Better than the overly bright bows Mari preferred, in any case.

I stared at my reflection for a moment more, satisfied enough with my appearance, before my eyes trailed down to the bracelet on my wrist. Lifting it a little closer, I let my eyes roam over the chain, as if I'd find the answer as to why my mother had suddenly decided to leave me here without so much as a note.

"A secret mommy promise, huh?" I asked to nobody in particular, before snorting and letting my arm fall to my side, "Yeah right."

"HIKARI, HURRY UP!" Mari's impossibly loud voice shouted from downstairs.

I rolled my eyes, giving my reflection one last look before heading towards the door to face the day.

If only I could have known exactly what that day entailed for me.

(******)

"-So, I said 'no way', and San's all 'yes way', but I still don't believe her because I think she's a chronic liar and makes stories up like that all time and are you okay Hikari, you haven't said anything in a really long time," Mari asked after her long-winded speech. I wondered at times if she even needed to breath.

"Oh, I was supposed to being saying things?" I asked, voice deadpan.

"Ha ha," Mari said mirthlessly.

The hallway was mostly empty by that point, most everyone having gone home as soon as the school bell rang. Mari and I having archery and kendo practice respectively, however, had to stay an extra hour once class ended. And God, was I happy for its existence today! I liked kendo, wouldn't be in it otherwise, but today was a day where I had really needed to let out some pent up aggression.

"So how'd kendo practice go?" Mari asked as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Pretty good," I said, closing my locker and picking up my practice sword, "But Renji still kicks my ass."

"Well, that's what you'd expect," Mari said, grinning.

I lifted an eyebrow, "And what's that supposed to mean exactly?"

Mari's grin got wider as she cheekily rubbed her nose and said, "Nothing."

I lightly punched her in the shoulder, and she playfully swatted back, giggling mischievously as she poked me in the side.

I jerked away reflexively, smacking her hand, "Hey, you know I don't like that!"

"But it's so cute the way you squeal," she giggled, almost evilly. That impish sparkle of hers appeared in her eyes once more, and she hunched over and flexed her fingers as if they were claws, smiling.

I backed up, shaking my head and slowly wagging a finger at her in universal 'now hold on a second' language, saying, "Don't you even think about it."

Mari didn't back down, stalking forward like a cat to a cornered mouse. In a last effort to get the message across, I swung my practice sword forward, "I _will_ hit you with this Mari!"

She paused and pursed her lips together, seeming to debate if my 'squealing' was worth a bamboo stick to the face. After a moment, she finally dropped her arms and said, with an overdramatic sigh, "Aah, you never let me have any fun."

"Being poked in my side isn't fun," I shot back, though I did lower my sword.

"It is for me!" she said, grinning toothily.

I frowned, then sighed, "Yeah, whatever. We should probably start heading home now, it's getting late."

Mari glanced out the glass door of the school entrance behind me, sniffing, "Yeah, I guess so."

I nodded and leaned over to grab my bag, double checking to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything when ten fingers suddenly dug into my sides with a vengeance.

"EEP!" I cried, shooting straight up and whirling around just in time to see Mari bolt past me and run out the door, laughing madly.

"MARI!" I shouted, grabbing my bag and hauling after her.

Once retribution had been meted out in the form of head-lock, the two of us took our usual route home, talking about any interesting things that happened in school. And by talking, I mean I listened to Mari yammer on about her day. It was a familiar and, dare I say it, comfortable routine. It was amazing, really, how quickly she and I had become friends. It would have been harder back then too, considering I'd just been dropped on their doorstep without any knowledge of why, and feeling more than a little resentful at the time and not in the mood to be making any friends.

I stopped walking, staring off into the distance. The land before me sloped down, and I could see the ocean just over the tiled roofs, the water swaying gently in the breeze, the sun hovering what seemed like inches above the surf. The bracelet on my wrist felt heavy then. Heavier than usual.

Mari stopped as soon as she realized I wasn't following her, turning back with her hands laced behind her head and staring at me inquisitively, "Hey, what's up Hikari?"

I didn't say anything at first, and a perturbed frown appeared on her face, "Hey, you're not still thinking about your mom, are you?"

I gave her a look, "Of course I'm still thinking about her."

She trotted back to me, saying, "Ya know, if you keep doing that, you'll just make yourself sick."

"Yeah, you've told me," I assured her.

"It's just," I started after a moment of silence, eyes still on the ocean, "I wish I knew why I was here. Don't get the wrong idea, I do like the islands, and you've been nothing but nice to me the whole time I've been here. I just . . . wish I knew, you know."

I let out a dry laugh, turning my head away from Mari, "Heh, you don't suppose it's still too early to start considering I've been abandoned, do you?"

Mari didn't say anything at first, which was unusual. Normally when I got like this she'd jump up and immediately start saying something along the lines of 'secret mommy promise' or something like that.

Then, her face was suddenly in mine, very, _very_ close to mine, examining me with a scrutiny I didn't think she was capable of.

Then she smiled and grabbed my wrist, "Let's go to the beach!"

"Huh?" was the only thing I could get out before I suddenly being dragged against my will, "W-wait, what about you're mom? Won't she get worried?"

"Nah!" Mari said blithely, casually waving her free hand in the air and never once letting go of my wrist, "It'll be fine! Hey, once we're down there, do you want get some watermelon? My treat!"

"Uh . . ." But words meant nothing at that point, I knew. So, I simply acquiesced to fate and let Mari drag me off wherever.

With Mari leading the helm, we made it to the beach in record time, the sun just starting to set below the sea-line, the blue water sparkling in the light of the fading sun. It was quite a pretty sight.

Mari, who didn't even look the slightest bit fazed by the jog, looked at me and cheerily asked, "So, watermelon?"

I gave her a look, leaning against my practice sword and panting, "You and your ideas. I sometimes wonder if its just you in that head of yours."

Mari laughed, "You know, Markus says the same thing sometimes. Who knows, maybe you're right! So anyway, watermelon?"

I chuckled, shaking my head, "Sure, whatever you want Mari."

"YES!" she cried, and once more my arm was used as a leash to drag me to the nearby confectionary stand. Beaming over the countertop and the man in the white cap, Mari enthusiastically said, "Two slices please!"

Glancing up almost catatonically from his phone, the man didn't seem to immediately realize that we were customers, looking between the two of us as if he were trying to figure out if we were actually there or not.

I crossed my arms and cocked my head to one side, saying, "No, that's okay. Take your time."

As soon as I spoke, he realized that, yes, we _were_ actually customers and comically leapt out of his seat, stuttering as he went to grab the slices, "O-oh, yes, r-right away ma'am! That'll be, uh, 1,400 munny."

Trying her utmost to stifle her laughter, Mari gave me a thumbs up before handing the man the munny, "Thank you sir. Snrk."

Slices in hand, we made our way down to the shore line, finding a nice spot to sit just above the waves. The melon was sweet and watery, easily quenching my thirst as I savored each bite while trying my best not to get any of the juice on my clothes. Mari, on the other hand, inhaled hers as soon as she sat down and was now taking the time to lick the juice off of her fingers with gusto. Whilst I cringe.

We stayed there for a bit, simply enjoying the sunset and admiring the colors and the sound of the waves splashing by our feet. The tiny island close to the mainland's shore stood proud against the blue, and even here I could see the palm trees swaying in the wind, even though all of it looked like it could be swallowed at any moment. Mari had told me she used to play there sometimes as a kid. I'd never been. Hadn't really wanted to go.

"Hey."

I glanced over at Mari, eyebrows raised at the unusually subdued note in her voice, " . . . What?"

"Your mom didn't abandon you," Mari said resolutely, eyes still on the ocean surf, "Maybe she is a little late and maybe it was a little mean to not tell you where she was going, but I think she really meant best for you, ya know."

My eyes fell to the sand at my side, not sure how to respond to that. Once more, I found my eyes straying to the chain on my wrist, and found my thoughts unwittingly straying to my mother.

After some silence, I looked at Mari again, "Mari-"

Mari suddenly stood up and started brushing off the sand with her usual Mari zest, humming to herself as she cleaned up. I stared at her, unsure if she wanted me to respond, when she extended a hand to me and said, "Come on, let's go find some pretty shells to bring home to Mom!"

I stared at her hand, then back to Mari, then back to her hand. Hm, maybe I wasn't supposed to answer her after all.

I closed my eyes and sighed before accepting the offered hand, "Sure, why not."

Mari smiled and pulled me too my feet, and her regular enthusiasm returned full force.

"Now, the tide's low, so we're going to have to get close to the water to find the really nice ones," Mari explained, eyes sparkling with eagerness, "Try looking for really colorful ones, okay Hikari?"

I looked down at the wet, claylike sand, not to enthused with the idea of getting soaked. My eyes followed the rim, trying to find a place where it wouldn't be too obvious I was trying not to get wet when a figure in the distance caught my eye. Eyebrows furrowing, I peered at it, curious, "Whose that?"

Mari blinked and turned to follow my gaze, "Hm? I can't really tell."

She turned back to me and grinned, pointing a thumb at the person behind her and placing the other hand on her hip, "Hey, why don't we ask them if they want to help us find shells? The more the merrier, right?"

"Sure, let's just go over and ask them if they want to go mud diving with two complete strangers," I said sarcastically, arms crossed.

"Mud diving? But it's sand though?" Mari asked, tilting her head in confusion.

I shook my head, sighing, "Nevermind."

"Oh, okay then," Mari grabbed my hand (thrice), and started heading towards the figure in the distance, "Let's go ask!"

I shook my head once more before looking ahead towards the figure, sending mental apologies to them in advance.

. . . Wait . . .

"Hey, Mari?" I asked slowly.

"Hm?" she inquired cheerfully.

"Wasn't there only one person over there?"

"Huh? Well, yeah, we were going to go . . . ask . . . them . . . ?" her voice trailed off as did her pace, and both of us stared at the two figures in the distance. We were close enough now that I could see some details. One was a girl, maybe our age, and the other was an older man in a long dark coat and with really red, spiky hair. It looked like they were talking, but I could only begin to guess what about.

"Huh, weird," Mari commented, "I didn't see that guy before."

"Me neither," I replied. In fact, I could have sworn I had only been one person over there.

"Ruff! Ruff ruff! Arf!"

I jumped as a dog suddenly sprinted past us, running full kilter towards the people in the distance, barking like mad.

I quirked an eyebrow, "Alright?"

And that's when things got really crazy.

Four figures, pale and unnatural, suddenly twisted into existence, surrounding the girl and the dog. Their bodies jerked in a way that reminded me far to much of the last horror movie I'd watched, and in unmatched unison, walked in slow, deliberate circles around the pair, like wolves around sheep. I shook my head, thinking I was hallucinating. But I wasn't hallucinating, because it soon became clear I wasn't the only one seeing it.

Mari's grip tightened on my wrist, her voice unnaturally serious, "Hikari, let's get out of here."

My eyes remained glued on the spectacle before me, even when she pulled me in the other direction, back towards the town. It was common sense, what Mari was doing. Those creatures were not normal. They were dangerous. Anyone with sense would immediately turn and run away. And sense almost won, because I did back up when Mari tugged me the other way. But then I saw the fright on the girl's face, and something inside of me commanded me to stay. To not turn my back. To not walk away.

So instead of doing that, I dug my heels into the ground and said, "We can't just leave. That girl's being attacked!"

"But Hikari-" Mari protested.

"I can't just leave!"

Without thinking, I yanked my wrist free, dropped my bag to the floor, hefted my sword, and charged.

"Hikari, WAIT!"

I didn't feel fear in those first few moments, even though I knew I should have. But all I felt was adrenaline coursing through my body, my blood roaring in my ears, and with a speed not even I knew I had, I shot forward and, with a furious cry, slammed the shaft of the wooden sword square into one of the creatures white heads. It's body trembled at the force of my blow, it's head even caving inwards at my strike.

So why didn't it feel like I had made any contact?

"What?!" a male voice shouted, no doubt the guy in the cloak, clearly taken off guard by my unexpected entrance.

The dog barked uproariously as I leapt back beside the girl in pink, taking a defensive stance. Four enemies, and the one I had successfully hit looked like it hadn't taken even the slightest bit of damage. Crap.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, shocked.

"Introductions later, survival now," I said, keeping my eyes on the oddly prancing enemies. Up close, I could see that they definitely weren't human. The white jumpsuits they wore looked much more like skin, and their heads were nothing but an unzipped mask with a black void serving as their faces, the zipper almost resembling jagged teeth.

The first flicker of fear wormed it's way into my heart, but I clamped down on it as quick as it came. This was not a classroom, I could _not_ afford to get distracted now. Still, that didn't stop my heart from pounding, nor the bead of sweat that rolled down my cheek.

"Well, what's all this? Pretty sure I didn't invite you to this little meeting," The red-haired man said irritably.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the creatures jerk spastically, it's knees bending. _Shit!_

Turning around, I held up my blade just as the creature lunged forward, it's thin, razor-like hands digging into the wood with a strength belied by it's unnaturally thin frame. My knees almost caved at the unexpected force, but I tightened my muscles, clenched my teeth, and thrust him off. It stumbled back, and didn't make a move to come toward me again. Still, I lowered my sword in it's direction, showing it I was ready in case it decided to attack again.

The girl behind me gasped, "Stop it! Leave her alone!"

"Ruff!" the dog barked, growling.

"If this is you're idea of a meeting, pal, I'd get a dictionary if I were you," I retorted.

"Oh, a wise-gal huh?" The man snorted, "Look, I just wanted to make the little lady behind you an offer. An offer that I'm sure she's been waiting for, for a long time. But if you really wanna make this an issue-"

Flames licked along the man's arms, burning brighter and hotter with every second, and in a brilliant flash of crimson embers, two spinning, lethally spiked chakrams materialized out of thin air, fire dancing along the blades. And with a smirk that seemed far too cold for the flames than now flickered around him, the man finished, "-then we'll make this an issue."

My eyes went wide. Fire? He _summoned _fire?

"How the-" I shut myself up before I could ask, shaking my head and focusing back on the situation in front of me.

Okay, this changed things. This changed things a_ lot_. I realized now that he wasn't just some creepy guy in black coat. This guy was way outta my league. I knew that, and _he_ knew that. He could wipe the floor with me if he wanted.

"But hey, I'm a nice guy, so I'll give you a choice," the man said, twirling the chakrams around his fingers as if they were nothing but toys, "You turn around and walk away now, I'll forget this ever happened. Cross my heart."

I narrowed my eyes. That last bit was said almost as if it were a joke.

"And what about her," I asked, nodding my head towards the girl behind me, "I don't suppose you'll just let her go too?"

"I'd be more worried about my own skin, if I were you," he taunted.

Damn it, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Running away would mean abandoning this girl to God knows what, while on the other I could-

I could . . .

It was then the real weight of this began to crash in on me. This guy, he could really kill me if he wanted to, and how long could I last against someone who could play with fire and not get burned? My arms began to tremble and my breath became quicker and more erratic as I looked to see if there was any way out of this situation. I swallowed thickly and clenched the handle of my blade even harder, trying to wrestle the fear under control, but I knew he could see. His eyes told me that he saw I was afraid.

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, "Please, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just get out of here, please."

"See, she's made her choice. You can walk away, guilt free," the man goaded, "But you better hurry it up, I'm on a tight schedule."

I bit my lip. We could try running away, but something told me that guy had _very_ good aim, and wouldn't miss should he decide to throw one of those things. This was bad. This was very, _very_ bad.

But then, out of nowhere, a sharp whistle cut through the air. I whirled around, and watched in awe as a strange shadowy portal suddenly appeared out of thin air. The dog at my feet barked and promptly took off toward the gate, turning around to make sure we were following, "Ruff! Ruff ruff!"

So, now we had another choice. Chance it with the strange black portal. The dog seemed okay with it, and clearly wanted us to follow him. At the same time, who knows what can of worms we'd open up then. But I was left with very few options at this point, and since the only other option was to get skewered and flambéed at the same time, beggars couldn't be choosers.

But the man wasn't done talking, "You and I have something in common, Kairi. You and I both miss someone we care about."

I looked at her, and saw the hesitation in her eyes. I didn't know what he wanted from her. I didn't know what she was looking for. But I did know one thing for sure, and that was that that guy was bad news.

"Don't listen to him. Whatever he's offering you, it'll go sour, that's how these types work," I reasoned with her.

"And how would you know what it is I'm offering. Don't take it, Kairi, and you might be stuck here forever, waiting for someone who might not even come back. It's the same with me," The man's voice was almost sickeningly sweet with his next words, "Hey, I feel like we're friends already."

I glared at him. Freak.

Then the girl, Kairi, stood up a little straighter, a determined looked stealing its way into her eyes. Her hesitation gone, she ran toward the portal, turning just long enough to give the man one last farewell, "You're not acting very friendly!"

I quickly ran after her, glad that she'd made the right (well, better) choice. She was fast too, already disappearing into the darkness of the portal ahead. Guess my mind was made up for me then. And like hell was I staying around with this guy.

I glanced back to give the man a smug smile, savoring this impromptu victory and wanting to convey that to him. But it quickly died when I saw what he was about too do. The flames on his weapons were burning brightly, and one of his arms was cocked over his shoulder, ready to throw the lethally spiked weapon for all it was worth.

And he was looking right at me.

"Shit!" I shouted, pushing all my energy into my legs to propel myself forward. The portal was right there, if I could just cover those last few feet!

Suddenly, something thin and black shot over my head, cutting through the air with a sharp _fwip!_

"GAH!" the man's sudden and startled cry made me spin on my feet to see what had happened, and when I saw the fletched end of an arrow sticking out of the man's shoulders, I felt my smile return. Spinning back to the portal, I continued running, smiling at the girl standing besides the portal with a bow in hand.

"What took you so long?" I asked.

"Sorry," Mari apologized, "But let's get out of here first!"

And with those words, the two of us plunged headfirst into the swirling pool of darkness.

Where we came out, well, I couldn't even begin to describe. It was corridor-ish in shape, but everything_ moved, _shapes that made no sense to me crawling along the blue . . . something that I guess were supposed to be the walls.

"What the hell?" I asked, jerking my foot away from as a small grey symbol-thing that slithered a bit too close for my comfort.

"Got me!" Mari chirped helpfully as she shrugged her shoulders. I glanced at her. Well, she seemed strangely okay with this.

"You're okay!"

I looked to my left and saw Kairi running towards us, the dog right by her heels, a look of relief on her face, "When you didn't come through right away, I thought something had happened to you . . . um . . ."

I gave her a reassuring smile, "Hikari. Don't worry, I'm fine, thanks to this one over here."

I gestured to Mari, who gave Kairi a big smile, "Howdy! I'm Mari!"

Kairi returned her smile, looking between the two of us and bringing her hands up to her chest, "Hikari. Mari. My name is Kairi. It's nice to meet you."

"Ruff!" the dog barked, excitedly wagging his tail. I gave him a smile and a small wave, "Hey."

"Nice to meet _you_ too!" Mari said appreciatively, giving Kairi a once-over and winking.

"Stop that," I said, sharply elbowing her in the rib.

"Ow!" she grunted, rubbing her side and giving me a teary look, "I was just being friendly!"

"That's not being friendly, that's being creepy," I countered.

Kairi looked between the two of us, seemingly at a loss. But instead of backing away slowly, like most would, she placed a hand to her mouth and giggled.

Mari, still rubbing her side, smiled, "See, Kairi thought I was being friendly."

"Arf!"

I rolled my eyes.

The giggles quickly subsided, however , as Kairi's attention began to turn towards the aberrant scenery of the place. Not that I could blame her. This place was, to put it mildly, bizarre.

"Hey, do either of you know what this place is?" she asked.

"No, I've never seen anything like it," I responded, "The important question though, is how are we gonna get out of here?"

"Well, what about that white door-thingy over there?" Mari asked, pointing.

Both me and Kairi gave her confused looks before following where it was she was pointing. And lo', another strange portal! Although, this one was much nicer looking, giving of a soft and pleasant white light that seemed far too cheery for a place like this. It was even bell-shaped.

"Where do these keep coming from?" I asked, gesturing to the portal with both my hands..

Suddenly, another whistle cut through the air, the dog's ears immediately perking up in eagerness. With an excited bark, he ran toward the mysterious white portal, vanishing into the glow beyond.

"Come on, let's go" Kairi said, walking toward the portal without fear.

I watched her for a moment, glanced at the ever-changing and empty world around me, and shrugged, "Why not. Go through one portal, you've gone through them all."

"Eh, what's the worst that could happen?" Mari asked, walking backwards so she could face me.

Just about everything, was what I wanted to say. But again, beggars couldn't be choosers, so I kept quite as the three of us walked over the threshold and stepped into the surprisingly warm light. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kairi pausing and turning around to look back into the distortion world we had just left. I stopped too, not wanting to leave her behind.

Then she froze, "Huh?"

Confused and a bit alarmed, I turned around to look at her just in time to see the portal close behind us. No turning back now.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

Her eyes remained on the spot where the portal had closed, unmoving.

I looked at the spot she was looking at to see if there was something there that I was somehow missing, but all I saw was peach-colored light. Folding my arms over my chest, I stepped forward a bit closer and asked, "Kairi?"

She jumped a little, turning around to face me, "Huh? O-oh, I'm sorry. It must have been my imagination."

I raised an eyebrow, "What must have been your imagination?"

She abashedly brushed a few strands of her dark red hair out of her face, looking a little red herself as she said, "I just . . . thought I saw someone."

I looked at her, then over her shoulder, frowning, "Well, if you did, they can't get to us now."

"Hey, what's takin' you guys so long?" Mari shouted from a little ways off, waving an arm over her head, "Come on, I see something over here!"

I shook my head and glanced apologetically at Kairi, "I hope you know how to handle energy, because Mari is living silo of one."

Kairi smiled, "Don't worry, I used to play with people who used to run laps around the island for fun."

"Well, consider them your training wheels, because Mari is on a whole other level, I assure you," I warned, but there was a small smile on my face as the two of us walked towards the impatient Mari, who seemed to be tapping her foot on the ground at a rapid-fire speed.

Kairi laughed at that, when a look of sudden realization crossed her face, "Oh, that's right! I never thanked you for your help back there."

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't really much help, anyway," I said, though I could feel my cheeks heat up just ever so slightly. I really hope she didn't see that.

"Still, thank you," Kairi said, and her honest gratitude almost hurt. My face got just a little hotter, and I turned my head the other way, "I said don't worry about it."

"Come on!" Mari shouted, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Alright, coming, just try not to pop a blood vessel!" I yelled, picking up my pace. Behind me, Kairi chuckled.

When the two of us arrived, Mari quickly pointed out what it was that got her so excited, "See?"

It was a . . . well, I wasn't actually sure what it was.

"It . . . looks like a hole," I said, though I was still unsure.

"What are we supposed to do with it?" Kairi asked, though I couldn't be the one to give her an answer.

"Ruff! Ruff!" the dog suddenly ran up and launched himself through the hole, vanishing into the white.

"Uh . . ." I said, staring at where the dog had once been.

Mari cocked her head to one side and grinned, "Guess that's are cue!"

Before either of us could say anything, Mari pelted forward and dove headfirst into the light, her 'wheeeee!' fading as she did.

I slammed a hand against my face, "My God, you are insane."

"I think she's got the right idea," Kairi said, to which I gave her a pointed look.

"It might be our only way out of here," she pointed out.

I glanced at the empty scenery around me, and had no choice but to nod in agreement, "Yeah, you might be right about that."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Kairi reassured me, "I think whoever opened these portals for us wanted to keep us safe."

"Hm," I murmured. Could that really be true?

"Come on," Kairi urged, and once more, before I could say anything, she ran off into the white, disappearing just like the others.

I cocked my head back and rolled my eyes, "Really guys?"

But I wasn't going to get an answer here, so, looking back at the hole in front of me, I shrugged, "Guess there's no time like the present."

Taking a breath, I hunched down, braced myself, and dove into the light.

* * *

Rate and review, if you would like too. :)


	3. Bad Dreams

Chapter 2. Huzzah! Brace yourselves, this is a bit of a long one.

Enjoy! :)

* * *

Bad Dreams

I awoke in silence and confusion, back pressed against something hard and cool, head pounding and body aching.

"Ouch," was the first thing I mumbled, reaching up to rub my throbbing head. I hissed when I felt a large bump, wincing as it stung in protest.

What . . . .what had happened again?

Dropping my arm back to the floor, I thought back, taking a breath to clear my head and focus. That's right, we were on a beach. And then there was Kairi, and that weird guy, and those monsters . . .

Man, why today, of all days, did my life have to get weird?

Hang on a sec, where was I?

Taking a breath and opening my eyes, I pressed my palms against the floor and pushed myself upright, wincing as I did so. Rubbing the back of my head to ease the pain, I took a cursory look around, only to feel my frustration level begin to rise.

"Again? Again with this stupid otherworld crap?!" I shouted, violently waving a hand at the black, empty, not-normal space above my head, "God, why did we run into that stupid hole, thing, whatever? This is the last time I follow you anywhere, Mari!"

I made to smack the girl next to me and give her a piece of my mind, only for my hand to stop mid-strike, " . . . Mari?"

But I wasn't going to get an answer, I realized as I looked around. Because I was completely alone. No Mari, no Kairi, no dog, no nobody!

Crap.

"Great," I mumbled under my breath.

Feeling a bit more recovered, I stood up and took in my surroundings a little better this time. Above was still the same black nothing, which was kind of unnerving if I stared at it too long. But what was under my feet was a completely different story.

"Wow," I breathed.

Beneath me was perhaps one of the most elaborate stained glass windows I'd ever seen. Bright colors saturated the surface, which made a surprisingly pleasant change from all the weird things I had seen so far. Where the light came from to make it shine so brightly, I couldn't begin to guess, but it brought life to the already lifelike image. I was a little too close to be able to really see what was on it, but from I could see, it looked like a mural of a woman.

A woman who looked . . . familiar.

"Huh?" I murmured, walking until I found the woman's face. Her hair was long and as black as ebony, the shine of the glass making it look far glossier than normal. Her face was fair, with high cheekbones and a narrow chin. But it was her eyes that caught my attention the most. Sharp and bright, the color of leaves in spring. Eyes I recognized. A face I recognized.

Heart pounding, I fell to my knees, pressing a palm against the smooth glass, barely able to believe it. But there was no mistaking what I saw. I'd recognize her anywhere. This was my . . .

"Mom?" I asked.

My eyes locked with her glass ones, the same shade of green as my own, and felt equal amounts of confusion and hurt. Why was she here, in this glass painting in a place I had never seen before? Where was she now? My vision blurred, and I hastily rubbed a hand over my eyes to banish the tears. No, no, this wasn't the time to cry! It wasn't going to solve anything, so stop it! But even as I brushed them away, the hurt lingered.

"You miss her."

My shoulders tensed and alarm coursed through every muscle in my body. Shooting to my feet, I turned this way and that, looking for where the voice had come from. Except I couldn't see anyone. It was just me standing on the glass.

"Whose there?" I demanded, feeling exposed and vulnerable without my blade.

"Someone you know and do not know."

My forehead creased at the words, "Okay, and what does that mean, exactly? I either know you or I don't, which is it?"

From somewhere in the emptiness beyond, I heard a laugh. It was a strange laugh, echoing all over the place and seeming to have no origin or end. In fact, everything about this alien voice was strange, because it sounded neither masculine or feminine, making it even harder to guess what this person was, "You'll find out."

I glared at the darkness, feeling anger bubbling to the surface, "You know what, whoever-you-are? I had a bad morning, had my life threatened by a creepy guy in a black cloak, been running through portals that led to places that made no sense, and now I'm stuck in some other weird place with you! In short, I have had a very bad day, the least you could do is answer one simple question!"

There was a long silence after that, a thick, tense silence that consumed us both. I just started to think I'd scared them off, when, "You wish to know? Alright then."

The darkness in front of me shifted, and I tensed, bracing myself for whatever was going to leap out at me. A foot garbed in a black boot gracefully stepped out onto the glass, the shadows seeming to _slide_ off of the person's body as if it were water as they moved forward. Slowly, the shadows receded, and soon the only thing that stood before me was a person garbed in long, dark coat. In their hands were two bamboo swords, the kind I used for kendo practice, held lax and at ease.

I glared at them, "You know, that still doesn't exactly answer who you are."

The person said nothing, but just under the rim of the hood I could see a small smile play out on their lips. With relaxed ease, they casually tossed one of the swords toward me, the wooden blade bouncing along the glass and coming to rest at my feet. So they wanted me to take it?

I gave the person a wary look before hastily bending down and snatching the sword up, wasting no time in dropping into a defensive stance, sword arched over my head, "So, you wanna fight or something? Because I'd be more than happy too take you up on that offer, skirt or no. I need to vent, anyway."

"You need to learn," the person said, much to my confusion.

"What?" I asked.

"You need to learn," the person repeated, "Learn and grow stronger."

Suddenly, the cloaked figure shot forward with a speed that caught me off guard. Their sword came down on my head, and I had just enough time to twist my blade to block the attack. I didn't account for the person's unnatural strength, though, and as soon as their sword connected with mine, I was sent flying back, landing against the glass with a hard thud.

"AH!" I cried, feeling pain shoot across my spine.

The person halted, saying, "Get up."

"Hey, Cloak," I said, staggering to my feet and bringing my sword up, "You're not my teacher, so stop telling me what to do."

"On the contrary," Cloak said, "I am your teacher."

I narrowed my eyes. Okay, so they were tough. If I wanted to even have a hope of victory, I was going to have to play it smart. Brute force obviously wasn't going to work, so I was going to have to rely on speed instead. Taking a breath, I bent my knees and held my sword steady, focusing.

Cloak shot forward again, but this time I was ready. Once more, Cloak brought their blade down, but instead of blocking it, I sidestepped at the last minute and shot forward, slamming the pommel into their gut with all of my might.

"Oof!" Cloak grunted. So that did hurt them. Good.

I skipped back out of their reach, guard up and ready. Cloak pressed a hand against their side, eyes on me, "Better."

"Stop with the compliments," I snapped.

Cloak chuckled, "As you wish."

They came at me again, using the same tactic. Just as before, I sidestepped out of their range, only this time I spun on my heels and used the force gathered to slam the shaft into Cloak's side.

_THWACK!_

My eyes went wide when I saw Cloak's blade between their body and my own. My arms trembled as we remained locked together, and I bared my teeth at them in a display of defiance.

"What is it you fight for?"

The question was so out of left field I had no idea what to say, but that momentary lapse in concentration was all Cloak needed. Thrusting me off, they jumped and spun in the air, and I just got my blade up in time to block the strike. I was braced for their strength this time, but even so I was sent sliding back, feet grinding against the floor. But they did not stop their assault. With speed unmatched, they ran at me and hammered into me, blow after fearsome blow, and it was all I could do to stay on my feet as they pushed me back. I was being driven into a corner!

As I struggled to stay on my feet, I didn't notice the way my sword shuddered under every concussive blow, the way that small, hairline crack grew bigger and longer with every strike. It wasn't until, with one last, fearsome strike, that I realized something was wrong. But it was too late.

_CRACK!_

The shaft of my blade snapped in two. As if time had slowed, I could see every splinter hang suspended in the air, floating between me and certain death.

_Shit!_

Cloak struck, their blade slamming into my chest, and I was sent sprawling. I rolled onto my side, gasping for air and clutching the hilt of my broken sword tight. I could taste blood in the back of my mouth, the coppery tang rousing me back to my senses.

Footsteps. I could hear their footsteps, coming toward me. No doubt to finish the job.

In a last ditch effort to save myself, wheezing and heart pounding in my throat, I pushed myself up and brandished the broken blade, one hand braced against the glass. I might die, but hell if I go down without a fight.

Cloak stopped walking, gazing at me with a serenity that was very dissonant with the fact that we just fought it out with each other.

"You're weak," they said matter-of-factually, and I felt my blood boil.

"Yeah, well, guess we all can't be crazy skilled super-humans like you," I retorted heatedly, never once lowering my trembling sword.

"You won't survive as you are now," Cloak said. Way to rub it in.

Their hand shot out and grabbed hold of my outstretched wrist, pulling me up to my feet. Cloak sharply twisted my arm, making me cry out and drop the blade, and I could only watch as my only means of defense clattered to the floor at our feet.

They held my wrist up, and I realized then what they were doing. Cloak was examining my bracelet!

"So, I will give you knowledge to help you on your way," they said, and then slowly held up their other hand.

The long sleeve slid down to reveal pale skin, but that wasn't what got me. That wasn't what got me at all. There, gleaming around their wrist, was a familiar silver-grey chain, and dangling off the side was a small circular plate emblazoned with an anvil.

"T-that's my . . . how do you have my bracelet?!" I demanded, trying to yank myself free to no avail.

"That . . . is for another time," Cloak said, voice quiet.

A soft glow grabbed my attention, and I blinked in shock when I saw Cloak's bracelet begin to shine with a pale light. Its light seemed to reach out, coalescing into a single, ethereal strand that seemed to grow brighter with every second. And then, I realized why. Another light was joining it, a light that was tying the strands together into one shining bond. A light that I soon realized was coming from my own bracelet, "Wha . . ."

There was a bright flash, and suddenly my head was filled with a rush of different images. Images of battles and skillful maneuvers and fighting, blades flying in and out of my mind, of fire and ice and lightening burning and freezing and zapping and what the hell is happening to me?!

My remaining strength was immediately sucked out of my body, knees turning to jelly as I slumped forward, gasping, "Stop it! Whatever you're doing, stop it!"

"There is power inside you, a power that is yours and yours alone. What I give you now is only a first step on the path to unlocking it," Cloak said, though I couldn't find it in myself to really give a damn about whatever the hell they were talking about.

"Just stop it!" I begged, feeling like my head was going to explode at any moment, the pain driving in like a dagger in my already pounding skull.

And just like that, it stopped. The pain faded, but my consciousness was following. Cloak let go of my wrist and I fell to the floor, panting as my vision blurred and grew dull.

I barely noticed when Cloak fell to one knee beside my head, and I barely caught the words they spoke, "I cannot promise that the path before you will be an easy one. But what I can promise is that you will not take it alone. Now rise, and awaken to your full potential."

(*******)

". . . -kari! Hikari! Hikari, WAKE UP!"

I groaned as consciousness returned to me, annoyed at the insufferably loud voice screaming in my ear, "Shaddup Mari . . ."

That seemed to be the response she wanted, as she happily chirped, "See, I told you she was okay!"

"If you say so . . ." said an unfamiliar voice.

I sat up, rubbing my head and glaring at Mari, "You know, there are other ways of waking someone up without having to blow out their eardrums."

"But someone isn't you," Mari said, poking me on my forehead.

Suddenly a large, red tongue was running over my face, and I jolted back, "Ah! Stop!"

The dog stopped, wagging his tail and panting. Standing next to him was Kairi, who was leaning over me and looking relieved, "Hey. I'm glad you're awake."

"Uh, yeah, I guess," I fumbled, not entirely sure what to say.

"Um . . ."

I looked over to where the voice had come from, and realized for the first time that we were in the presence of other people. People I didn't recognize, but people all the same. People who didn't look any older than I did, actually.

"OH!" Mari shot off the floor, dragging me up with her and making me see stars, "Hikari, let me introduce you to our new friends!"

"New what?" the words had barely left my mouth when I was shoved forward and into the spotlight, Mari's hands holding my shoulders tightly so I didn't try and escape.

"Guys, this is Hikari! I know I already told you her name, but she was asleep that time, so now we can properly introduce her," Mari said enthusiastically. When I didn't say anything, she shook my shoulders and said, "Hikari, say hello!"

I gave her a sour sideways look before redirecting my gaze at the group in front of me, "Uh, hi."

They all glanced between each other, as if they were unsure what to do, before one of them stepped forward. It was the only girl in the group, I noticed, with semi-short brown hair and green eyes and a friendly smile that hinted toward a warm personality, "Hi there. My name's Olette. It's nice to meet you, Hikari."

That seemed to break whatever ice was left, as another kid quickly stepped forward. He was a bit on the pudgier side, with dark brown hair pulled up by a black and white headband and brown eyes that had an inquisitive spark in them. He held up a hand, smiling, "Hi, my name's Pence."

The last one had a sort of bad-boy look about him, with cargo pants and messy blonde hair probably meant to make a statement. His brown eyes held a defiant look in them, but he held up a hand in greeting, "Hey. Name's Hayner."

I nodded to them, "Hey. Nice to meet you all, I guess."

"Oh, Hikari don't be mean," Mari sniffed.

"Kairi was telling us about how you saved her," Olette stated. I looked at her, then looked at Kairi, who gave me a somewhat bashful smile, "Well, it's true."

"I got to hand it to ya, it takes guts standing up to something like that," Hayner said. It almost sounded as if he were impressed. He leaned down and grabbed something leaning against one of the crates before walking toward me, holding it out for me to take. My eyes went wide when I realized what it was.

"Hey, is that my sword?" I asked, taking it out of his hand. I examined it carefully, critically, only to gasp at what I saw. About halfway up the shaft, I saw a huge, splintered groove slashed deep into the blade, nearly slicing it clean in half. When did this happen? I thought back, only to frown when I remembered. Oh yeah, it was when that thing attacked me. I hadn't realized back then how much damage it had done.

Holding the hilt firmly, I gave it an experimental swing. Hm, seemed to still hold up, but I imagined it only had a couple hits left in it.

"I tried seeing if I could fix it up, but . . ." Pence said, watching.

"Don't worry about it," I said, "Nothing you could really do. But, thanks for trying, I guess."

There was a moment of silence when Olette came up to me, looking worried, "Are you sure you're okay?"

I quirked an eyebrow at her, "I feel fine. Why?"

"Well it . . . it looked like you were having a really bad dream, is all," Olette explained, rubbing the back of her head and looking embarrassed.

"A bad dream . . . ?" I mumbled, my eyes falling to the broken sword in my hands. Yeah, thinking about it, I could definitely call it a bad dream. So . . . why didn't I want to call it a bad dream?

" . . . kari. Hikari, hellooooo," Mari waved a hand in front of my face, and I blinked, "Huh?"

"You okay? You spaced out there for a bit," Mari said, leaning in so her face was almost directly in mine.

I leaned back, putting a hand up, "Oh? Sorry, I'm fine, promise."

"Well, snap out of it, because I want to tell you about Kairi's super awesome story!" she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"What?" I asked.

"Yeah, you completely missed it!" Mari reprimanded.

"It was really romantic," Olette mused, getting a starry look in her eyes.

Kairi blushed at that, "Is it really that romantic?"

"Of course it is!" Mari stated before throwing an arm around Kairi's shoulders and dramatically lifting the other one to the ceiling, "Just think! You, forlorn and alone, waiting faithfully on that beach everyday, watching the waves and counting the days as you wait for your beloved to come back to you!"

Tears glimmered at the corners of her eyes then, and she sighed, "Oh, it's a love story I can only dream of happening to me!"

Kairi had gone red (not that I could blame her), and was doing her damnedest to hide it by keeping her head down. Hayner and Pence both had their hands over their mouths, shoulders shaking as they tried to stifle their laughter. And Olette was still in the corner, starry-eyed and with her hands pressed to her cheeks.

"Okay, romance-washout, that's enough," I said, grabbing her ear.

"Ouch!" she whimpered, "Hikari, let go, please."

I gave her a stern look, giving her ear one last yank before releasing it. She bounced away from me, nursing her ear and giving me a pouty look, cheeks pushed out and lips pursed. I didn't pay it any mind.

I glanced at a still red-faced Kairi, "So, who is she talking about?"

"O-oh, he's a friend of mine. A very good friend," Kairi explained, shyly rubbing her wrist.

"A friend of yours huh? What's his name?" I asked.

"Sora," Kairi said, and a nostalgic look appeared in her eyes, "His name's Sora."

"Romantic," Mari breathed from the sidelines.

I ignored her, "So, you don't know where he's at, or how to contact him?"

"No," Kairi said, voice taking on a forlorn note. I felt a little bad for bringing it up, now.

But then, a hopeful smile appeared on her lips, and she said with no small amount of excitement, "At least, I didn't. But Hayner and his friends said they met him not that long ago!"

"Yeah, we did," Pence agreed, "And if you guys stuck around for a bit, he's bound to show up!"

"He said he'd come back," Hayner clarified, taking a seat on a large air duct of some sort.

"And thus, Kairi's long wait shall finally come to an end," Mari chimed in a bit over-dramatically.

I rolled my eyes at her, when she sidled up to me and grabbed my arm, "See Hikari? If Kairi gets to see her boyfriend again after so long, then the same can happen with you and your mom!"

"Mari!" I hissed, smacking a hand against her face. I did not want to bring that up in a room full of virtual strangers.

"He's not my- . . . wait , what?" Kairi's embarrassment subsided a bit when she fully processed Mari's words, and I wanted to strangle Mari _so_ bad right now!

"What does she mean?" Kairi asked, and I could see the curiosity in everyone else's eyes as well.

I guess there wasn't really any avoiding it now, was there? After a brief moment of staring at the floor, I folded my arms over my chest and said, "Let's just say that I know what it's like. Waiting for someone, I mean."

"You mean, your mom?" Olette asked.

I nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Do you know where she is?" Pence asked.

". . . No," I mumbled, feeling a twinge of bitterness in my heart.

No one said anything after that, and I thought the conversation would be dropped then. So I was surprised when Kairi came to stand in front of me, her eyes filled with a resolve that hadn't been there before.

I gave her a bemused look, "Um, what?"

"It's hard waiting for someone, isn't it?" she asked, even though I knew I wasn't supposed to answer. Kairi gave me a smile, and there was an understanding in her gaze I hadn't expected anyone to be able to give me. To be able to share.

"So, let's look instead!"

That caught me off guard, "Huh?"

"Let's look," she said again, "For Sora, and for your mom."

I . . . didn't know what to say. Like, I really didn't know what to say. Aside from the whole beach incident, the two of us barely knew each other. And Kairi had her own problems, to be sure, so why would she worry about mine?

"Why . . .?" I started, "I mean, you barely even know me."

"So? You barely knew me when you decided to protect me," Kairi said, and I shifted my eyes to the wall. She had me there.

"That's . . . a good point," I said reluctantly.

Kairi nodded, smile never waning, and said, "And once we find Sora, I know he'll help us look."

"Yeah, he'll help you out!" Pence shouted, and Olette nodded in agreement, "He did seem like that sort of guy."

"And we'll keep an eye open here too," Hayner said, and his two friends nodded enthusiastically.

Wow. What does one say to that? Not my usual quips, that's for sure. All the same, I couldn't help but feel . . . touched by their declarations of aid.

Mari leapt forward and threw an arm around both mine and Kairi's necks, grinning, "See, now this is more like it! Everyone working together to find a happy ending! And maybe even a little _l'amore_, if you know what I'm saying!"

I looked at her, trying to pry her arm off my throat, "I don't know about _l'amore_. You tend to drive most of the people we meet away."

"Arf!" the dog barked, not wanting to be left out.

Everyone let out a round of laughter, and I cracked a smile. My day had started off pretty cruddy, yeah. But I couldn't say that I wasn't having fun with this.

"Hey, Hikari, right?" I heard Hayner ask.

"Yeah?" I questioned, pulling myself free from Mari's grasp.

"If you guys are going to be hanging out here for a while, why don't you and I have a duel?" he asked, and I lifted an eyebrow.

"A duel?" I asked.

"There he goes again," Olette said, trying to look exasperated even though everyone could see she was amused.

"Hayner's always challenging people he thinks can put up a good fight," Pence explained.

I nodded slowly, "I see."

"So, what do you say? I'll warn ya, though, I ain't no pushover," Hayner said, bumping his fist against his chest.

"Ooh, that sounds like fun!" Mari said, "Hikari, you should totally do it!"

I mulled the proposition over in my head for a bit. A duel, huh? Heh, I could use the entertainment.

Coolly placing my hands on my hips, I gave Hayner a challenging smile, "Alright. You're on."

Hayner grinned, "Awesome. And don't worry about your sword. We can get another one from the ref who watches over the matches."

"Oh, this is gonna be so cool! I call front seat!" Mari shouted.

"Hey, no fair!" Pence argued, though there was a good-natured smile on his face.

Kairi and Olette laughed, and soon everyone (save _moi_) followed.

I thought things were going to shape up after that, I really did. So maybe me and Hayner's gang had met through . . . fairly unconventional means, but I found myself liking them and their simplicity. You're in trouble and they'll help you out, with no strings attached, and I liked that. I knew we'd have to leave eventually, but hell if I didn't sit down to enjoy myself a bit before we left. Still, all good things would have to come to an end.

I just hadn't expected that end to come so suddenly, or so soon.

"What took you so long, Kairi?"

Everyone in the room was immediately alert, and I felt my spine involuntarily straighten in alarm. I knew that voice!

Spinning around, I watched in shock as another of those shadowy portals materialized on the opposite wall, its inky blackness seeming to suck in the light around it like some sort of vortex. And out of those whirling shadows walked the man I'd seen on the beach, "Somehow, I just knew you'd be here."

I glared at him, snarling, "You again?! Can't you take a hint?"

He barely paused long enough to give me a glance, but it was enough time to see the aggravation and annoyance gleaming in his eyes. I must have really pissed him off back there.

"Is he the guy that attacked you?" Hayner asked, knees bent and eyes wary.

"Ah, I see my reputation precedes me," he commented, "Ya know, you've got a lots of guts Kairi, leaping into the darkness like that."

He strode forward, making it very clear he wasn't here to talk. Hayner shot forward, throwing his fist at the creep for all he was worth.

Only for his fist to pass harmlessly through the man as if he were nothing more than an illusion, and Hayner went stumbling and falling to the floor. Pence went running next, but his own assault was met with the same conclusion. What the hell was this guy made of?!

I moved to stand in front of Kairi, brandishing my half-broken sword at him. Behind me, Olette grabbed a hold of Kairi's arm while Mari knocked an arrow, the dog beside us growling at our feet.

The man didn't seem the least bit fazed by our display of bravado and continued to walk forward, unperturbed. Now or never, Hikari.

Bending down, I held my sword perpendicular to my body and ran forward, hoping to thrust it through the man's gut. If I was even able to hit him at all. But the man had apparently been waiting for me to do just that, as he quickly stepped to the side, my sword brushing harmlessly past. Suddenly, the sword in my hand jerked, nearly being wrenched out of my grasp, and when I looked to see what had happened, I saw that the man's hand was curled around the wood in a vice-like grip. He gave a me a cold smirk and, with one sharp, brutal twist of his wrist, he snapped the shaft in two.

Before I could react, a hand was suddenly around my throat, squeezing with bruising force. I choked, hands flying to my throat as I was lifted off of my feet, my lungs straining for even the littlest drop of air. I clawed at the hand preventing me from breathing, but the man didn't even seem the slightest bit concerned. I doubt he even felt it.

"Stop it! Put her down!" I heard Kairi's pleas even through the fuzz of my fading consciousness. He better not hurt her . . .

_Fwip!_

The tell-tale sound of an arrow flying through the air broke through the haze, but it seemed the man had been ready for that too. With inhuman speed, he snatched the arrow out of the air, the blunted head a mere inch from his coolly unimpressed face. He gave me an impassive sideways glance, as if deciding what to do with me, and I mustered up my waning strength to give him one hot and angry glare.

Suddenly, I was launched into the air, flying back until I collided into something hard. I went down, limbs feeling like jelly as I lay there gasping as air flew back into my burning lungs.

"Oof!" I heard someone grunt and I dimly realized it was a person I had been thrown into.

"You know, you and that little friend of yours really cramped my style back there," I heard the man say, and I realized he was talking to me. He rolled the arrow between his finger tips, talking as casually as if he were talking about the weather, "And I gotta admit, I wasn't expecting one of you to actually be able to hit me. Talk about some luck, huh?"

I stumbled back to my feet only to fall to my knees, panting and glaring, "Well gee, maybe if you didn't go around harassing innocent girls you wouldn't get hit so often."

He let out a dry and humorless chuckle as he tossed the arrow over his shoulder, "Well, we can't all be good guys, can we? But unfortunately for you, your luck's run out."

He snapped his fingers, and four of those grey, dancing jumpsuits warped into the room, twisting and moving in a way that would be considered graceful if it hadn't been so freaky.

"What are these things?!" Hayner demanded, looking between the dancing monstrosities.

The creatures all stood between us and the man, who now calmly walked forward and tightly grabbed hold of Kairi's wrist. Olette tried to pull her back, but she was no match for the man's strength, as he easily shook her off and began pulling Kairi toward that dark portal.

"Hey! Let her go!" I shouted, pulling myself to my feet and running forward, even though my lungs still ached.

"Hikari, look out!" Mari's warning almost came to late as one of the grey thing's lunged at me, razor-like hands slashing at my face. Digging my heels in the ground, I jumped back just out of its reach, its bladed hands swishing harmlessly through the air.

"Let go of me! Let _go_!" I heard Kairi yell, and I looked back to her, looking for a way to reach her . . .

Only to watch as she was pulled into the darkness and disappear from sight.

"NO!" I cried, running forward, but it was too late. The portal was already closing, and one of those grey bastards was already jumping in front of me. Without a proper weapon, I couldn't punch my way through, at least not in time, and all I could do was helplessly watch as the portal vanished before my eyes.

"Arf! Arf!" The dog shot forward, agilely running between the grey monsters and diving headfirst into the portal, just as it evaporated into nothing.

At least he was with her, I hope. But that didn't stop the frustration and anger I felt at losing Kairi, just when I thought we'd gotten away! Screw the fact that I didn't have a sword! Screw the fact that I was basically helpless against these things! I should have at least been able to buy her time to run away!

"Dammit," I said, hands balling into tight and trembling fists, my eyes clenched shut.

"Hikari, I know your upset!" I heard Mari yell in my ear, her hand wrapping around my wrist, "But we've got other things to worry about now!"

Her words brought me back to the present, and I forced myself to cool off. The monsters still hadn't left, and from the way they were moving, I could only imagine that they didn't plan on it anytime soon.

"Olette, stay behind me!"

I looked to see three of the monsters converging in on Hayner, who was standing protectively in front of Olette, his fists raised up and ready to fight. Pence stood beside him, hands up as well, but he looked unsure and afraid, while Olette had picked up a bent and broken pipe from behind the couch, holding it tightly even though her hands trembled in fear.

"Hey, lay off!" I shouted, barreling past the monster that stood between me and my . . .

My what, exactly?

Time suddenly seemed to stand still.

As in, it literally stood still, everything and everyone coming to a complete and total stop, not even breathing. I stumbled to a stop, confused and alarmed, "What the . . . ?"

"What are they to you?"

I jumped and looked around wildly, but there was no one there save for my eerily still companions.

"Whose there?" I demanded, keeping a keen eye my surroundings.

But the voice didn't seem to be in the mood to answer my questions, "What are they, to you?"

"What are they to me?" I asked quietly, then I shook my head, looking up and glaring, "Look, I don't know what you want, but I've got to save my . . ."

My voice trailed away of its own violation. What? I pressed a hand to my throat. It was like the word simply refused to come.

"Your . . . what? Friends?"

Friends? It occurred to me then that it, whoever _it_ was, was talking about Hayner and his group.

"I . . ." I fumbled at first. My friends? I closed my eyes and shook my head, "I don't really know."

Then I looked up, eyes flaring, "But I do know that they need my help, and I refuse to just sit here and do nothing!"

". . ."

Silence. I looked around, "Was that all you had to say?"

"If you care . . . then that is enough," the voice said.

The room blurred for a moment, wisps of nearly invisible energy shifting over the walls and floor. Then-

"AAH!"

Olette's scream immediately rocked me back to reality and I, eyes wide with horror, watched the three circling grey monstrosities lunge towards Hayner, bladed hands extended and hungry for blood. Hayner threw his arms up in front of his face, though he knew that would do nothing against those things. They were doomed.

But not if I had anything to say about it. With a rage I had never felt before coursing through me and burning away my dread, I ran forward and screamed with all my might, "GET AWAY FROM THEM!"

And as I ran, uncaring for the fact that I didn't have a weapon, uncaring at all for the fact that I could die, a voice, soft and barely there, whispered gently into my ear, "_There is power inside you. A power that is yours and yours alone._"

Suddenly, a light, brighter than anything I had ever seen, engulfed me. A warmth enveloped my body, folding around me like a blanket, and I, for the first time in a long time, felt calm, secure, and safe. Without any conscious thought on my part, my hands curled together as if clutching the invisible handle of a sword, and I closed my eyes. With all the power I could muster, I shot forward and swung.

_SHING!_

Everything went quiet, and I opened my eyes. I found myself leaning forward so far my face was almost nose to nose with the wall, right knee bent and left leg stretched out behind me. What . . . did I just do?

Standing up, I whirled around just in time to see the three monsters wobble and collapse, their flaccid bodies dissolving into gray and white nothingness. I stared at where'd they'd been. Had . . . had I done that?

I looked at Hayner, Pence, and Olette to see if they were okay, which they were, much to my relief. But . . . they were all staring at me, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, which was kind of odd.

I lifted an eyebrow at them, " . . . what?"

Without so much as a word, Pence pointed at my hands, and I slowly followed his gaze.

Only to gasp and nearly drop what I was now holding. Now open-mouthed myself, I lifted my hand, and with it, a strange and otherworldly blade I had never seen before.

I held it out, twisting it this way and that, examining it closely. It's basic shape resembled a sword, though it was definitely a type I wasn't familiar with. The cross guard was made of a smooth, circular white metal that curled around the hilt and my hand, the ends merging together to form a star shape at the rain guard. The handle was surprisingly comfortable to hold, with golden bands of wire wrapped tight around the grip. The blade itself was long and sleek and colored gold, the fuller cut away completely and leaving a hollow space between the polished metal. The tip was also very ornate, with a large half-circle jutting out from the side, smooth and white. Alternating and uneven metallic bands of white and gold jutted out around the half-circle, girding it in place, the tips tapered to sharp points that, all together, formed an odd sunburst shape that caught and reflected the light in interesting ways. At the end of the hilt hung a small white-gold chain, and adorned at the end of that was a seven-pointed sun.

"What . . . is this?" I asked, baffled beyond all reason, eyes continuously wandering up and down the . . . sword, I guess.

"Hikari, watch out!"

My head shot up, sword-thing going up with me just in time to block the bladed hands bearing down on my face. Two sharp points shivered a mere inch from my face, and if I hadn't been locked in a sword lock with this thing, I'd so be hitting myself right now. There'd been _four_ of those things, how could I freaking forget!?

"Ugh!" I growled, glaring into the thing's empty face, "You know, I've had it about up to _here_ with you guys!"

Shifting my weight to my heels, I pushed up and away, thrusting the thing away from me, "And I am so done with you, it's not even funny."

I ran forward, the new blade in my hands feeling perfectly balanced with the rest of my body. With a sure step and steady grip, I twisted right and swung the blade at the things legs, swiping it off it's feet. It's body quivered, legs bending like glue, but something about the way I'd hit it was different from how it had been on the beach. Before, it looked like I had stuck true, but I hadn't felt contact at all. What was different?

Like lightening, realization struck. The contact. It was the contact that had been different from before. Because this time, I had hit it. I had hit it! _I could hit it!_

My eyes flashed and I grinned wolfishly. _I_ was top dog now.

Quickly, quicker than I'd ever been before, I hooked its flexible body on the sunburst tip and knocked into the air, following it with a high jump and dealing a few vicious strikes that felt_ so_ good to let out. It seemed to hover in the air with every blow I dealt, unable to escape from my onslaught. Good. With an embellished twirl (just for show), I slammed the shaft of my blade into it's head and sent it cart wheeling into the ground.

_THUD!_

It hit the concrete hard, hard enough that even I winced. Okay, so maybe that had been a little bit of an overkill, I decided as I watched the grey body dissipate into nothing. But damn, if that overkill hadn't felt good! With a victorious smirk, a placed a hand on my hip and rested the blade against my shoulder, body angled sideways and head held high. My 'triumph pose', Mari called it.

"Whoa . . ." I heard Pence breath, carefully walking forward to examine where the monster had vanished.

"How . . . how did you do that?" Olette asked me, an awed look in her green eyes.

I looked at her, dropping my arms to my side as I realized that I didn't really have an answer for what I had just done, "I . . . I have no idea."

"Well, whatever you did, it was awesome!" Hayner congratulated, coming up to me and patting a hand against my shoulder with a grin on his face. I smacked his hand away, but I gave him a half-smile in return.

"Hikari . . ."

I looked over and saw Mari, who, in a display I had never seen before, was _timidly_ walking up to me, and her normally bright eyes were huge and focused solely on the sword.

I furrowed my brows, feeling concern welling at the bottom of my stomach. This wasn't the normal Mari, "Hey, Mari, are you okay?"

She looked at me, then back to the sword.

Suddenly, two arms were around my back and squeezing the air out of my lungs, Mari practically sobbing into my ear, "HIKARI, I WAS SO SCARED YOU WERE GOING TO GET EATEN BY THOSE THINGS! DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAAAAAAIN!"

I cringed as my ear drums rang, desperately trying to push the crying girl off of me. _This_ was the normal Mari, "I-I'm fine. C-ca . . . . breath . . ."

Hayner and Olette had to pry her off, which they did, thankfully. After taking some time to regain my breath, I turned to the gang, addressing the issue that now took ultimate priority, "So, now that those . . . things are gone, I don't suppose any of you know where that guy might have taken Kairi?"

They all exchanged sad and frustrated looks before dismally shaking their heads. I frowned. Not promising.

"Hey um," Pence started, looking pensive, "Maybe we could look around the town? He might have left some clues for us follow."

"That might be our best option right now," I said. After all, it wasn't like we could summon magical black portals to nowhere.

"We can split up. We'll cover more ground that way," Hayner said, and we all nodded in agreement, "Okay, Pence, you take the marketplace. Hikari and Mari, you guys try the alleyways. Olette, you're with me, and we'll hit downtown. We'll meet up at the train station in two hours and tell each other what we've found."

"Sounds good," I said.

"I'm down," Mari agreed, nodding. Then she tilted her head to the side, fingers curled under her chin as she mused, "But I have no idea where the train station's at."

I cringed, "Oh yeah. In all the 'excitement' I kinda forgot we're not exactly . . . from around here."

"No worries, just take a look at the town directories, there all over the place," Pence informed us.

I nodded and was about ready to run out when Olette came forward, "Hey guys, while we're looking, maybe we should keep an eye out for Sora?"

For a moment, I had no idea who she was talking about when I remembered. Sora was Kairi's friend. The person she was looking for.

"We can do that, but don't get your hopes up," Hayner said.

"Okay, we got everything?" I asked, "Cause if we do, lets move. We're wasting daylight."

With a nod and an affirmation of reunion at the train station, we all set out, Mari and I hitting the streets.

But right before we entered the shadowed alley of the nearby street, I took a moment to look at the blade in my hand. A blade unlike any other . . . I wonder if it had a sheath somewhere. It was pretty, but it was also heavy, and I didn't fancy having to lug it with me everywhere I went.

Suddenly, the blade glowed, and in a flash of golden light, vanished. I stared in awe and carefully curled my fingers around the fading sparks. Had the sword . . . heard me?

"That was cool," Mari commented, "Can you do it again?"

"I don't know," I said before hesitantly extending a hand into the air. Closing my eyes, I centered my breathing and focused.

_SHING!_

"Whoa!" I heard Mari yell, and when I opened my eyes I saw the blade glimmering once more in my hand.

"Huh," I breathed, experimentally flicking the metallic side, "That's handy."

"Okay, okay, okay, let's go!" Mari said, her attention having deviated quickly. Girl had the attention span of a fruit fly sometimes.

As we set out, I couldn't help but simmer over the multitude of questions I had. What was this sword? What were those monsters? Who was that man? And why was he after Kairi? I knew I wasn't going to get any answers. But what I did do then was make a vow. A vow I promised to fulfill.

_Kairi, I will find you._

* * *

Aaand, chapter done. With keyblade in tow, Hikari's story can finally get underway.

Rate & review, if you like. :)


	4. Disembark

Heeey. Sorry for the lateness of this update, not to mention its relative shortness in comparison to the others. Next update will be longer, and more stuff will start happening, promise. :)

Disclaimer for the obvious: I own nothing.

* * *

Disembark

"Ugh!" I shouted, sliding down against the wall in a disgruntled heap, "Damn it, there's nothing here!"

"Well, there is some dirt. And garbage. Oh, and what about that slimy thing over there!" Mari caroled in a misaimed attempt at lifting my spirits. Over the two hours we had spent searching, we had come up with nothing. There was no sign of Kairi anywhere.

Shaking my head to rid myself of the frustration of our fruitless search, I stood back up and dusted off my skirt.

I frowned. This uniform was really getting dirty. I needed to remind myself later to find a change of clothes.

"Anyway, I think it's about time we head to the train station," I said, only to blanch in horror and exclaim, "Mari, don't stick that in your mouth!"

After that skirmish, we both set out along the twilight dappled streets. One thing I'd noticed about this place was how it always seemed to be twilight here in this town. The sun never sank below the horizon. It was kind of freaky, actually.

"Up there!" Mari pointed ahead of us before enthusiastically running up the hill toward the station. I groaned. I hated uphill.

I trudged up the hill, walking under the large billboard that directed me towards Central Station. Taking a breather by the stairs, I sat and watched Mari balance along one of the steps, humming to herself. We were the only ones here it seemed.

"Sooo . . . how do you think we're gonna do this?" Mari asked.

I let my head fall back, hair trailing against the stone step as I asked, "What are you talking about."

"I mean about finding Kairi?" she asked again, arms waving as she struggled to maintain her balance, "And, getting back home?"

I lifted my head and stared out to the sunset, thinking, "I . . . can't really say for sure. But there's gotta be some way, right? I mean, how else would we have gotten here?"

"Hm," Mari murmured, though she said nothing more. Maybe this was getting to her more than she let on. Sighing, I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin against them. I subconsciously rubbed a hand along the bruises on my throat, mulling over the day in my head, feeling regret well up for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. I sighed again. This had turned out to be a very, very long day indeed.

It was then I noticed Pence running up to us, but behind him were, not Hayner and Olette, but three other individuals I'd never seen before.

Great, more strangers.

"Hey, Hikari!" Pence yelled, waving a hand over his head.

I half-heartedly lifted a hand in return, "Hey."

"Who're they?" Mari asked, no doubt meaning the strangers.

"No idea," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"He-ey!" I looked to my right and saw Hayner and Olette running toward us.

"Right, gang's all here," I said, standing up and making my way over to them, Mari just a step behind me.

The three strangers Pence had with him were definitely an odd-looking bunch. One was a large duck with white feathers in a rather dapper blue suit and cap, while another was a tall bipedal dog wearing a green jacket and yellow cargo pants with a tall yellow cap with red goggles wrapped around it perched on his head. He was also carrying a rather ornate trophy, for some reason.

The last one was a boy with absurdly spiky brown hair and blue eyes, wearing an ensemble of a black jacket, cargo pants, and large yellow shoes that seemed a tad too big for him. He seemed to be the leader, standing ahead of the other two with a confident bearing, and I couldn't help but wonder who exactly these guys were.

Then the boy said a very interesting thing, "So, how do you guys know Kairi?"

I stood up a little straighter, now very interested in this turn of events as Hayner came forward, "Well, we kinda met her by accident, I guess you could say."

"And she told us she was looking for you," Olette added.

I blinked. When did Kairi tell us she was looking for this guy?

Suddenly, the pieces came together in my mind and I knew then who he was. This guy in front of me was Sora!

"So where is she now?" Sora asked eagerly, blue eyes shining with excitement, and I felt my heart sink. By the way Olette and Hayner's heads fell, I could guess they felt the same.

"That's . . ." Hayner started.

"She was . . ." Olette trailed off.

"She was . . . what?" Sora asked, and I could see that he was getting nervous.

"Well, there was this guy," Hayner explained, "A red-haired guy in a black cloak who just, I don't know, _appeared_ out of this weird black portal. We don't know why, but he took Kairi with him."

"We tried stopping him, but . . ." Pence trailed off, eyes shining with regret.

A dejected and heavy silence fell over the group, no one truly knowing what to say.

Sora's face fell, and his now somber eyes drifted to a small, oddly-shaped object in his hand, murmuring, "Kairi . . "

Behind him, his two companions leaned close together and whispered something between each other, though I didn't catch the words.

"Sorry . . ." Hayner said apologetically, the others nodding with him.

I watched as Sora suddenly brightened up, giving them a cheery smile and saying, "Hey, it's not your fault! C'mon, cheer up!"

The upbeat attitude didn't last long, however, as Sora's shoulders sagged and his smile quickly faded, "Like I can even say that . . ."

I decided that now would be a good time to break my silence. I wanted answers . . . and maybe, I also wanted to apologize. Kairi was clearly dear to this boy, and I'd failed to protect her long enough for them to even see each other again.

So I stepped forward and said, "You're . . . Sora, right?"

Sora looked at me, a faint look of confusion on his face before Pence quickly stepped in, "Oh, that's right! Sora, this is Hikari and Mari," he introduced, pointing to both of us in turn, "They came here with Kairi!"

That instantly grabbed Sora's attention, standing up a little straighter as he exclaimed, "You did?! So, does that mean you're both from the Islands?"

Mari smiled widely, nodding, "Destiny Islands, that's us!"

"Kairi told us that they helped her out before they came to Twilight Town," Olette explained.

"You did?" Sora asked, and I could see he wanted some clarification.

"Yeah, we did," I replied, "That red-haired guy Hayner was talking about? He was at the Islands too. We got away, but only by the skin of our teeth."

"I'll say! Man, that guy was mean!" Mari huffed, crossing her arms.

"Not that it lasted long," I continued solemnly, ignoring Mari, "He followed us somehow, and then it's just like Hayner said. And also . . ."

I shifted my eyes away, my voice going soft, "I'm . . . sorry. I shouldn't have let that guy take Kairi away so easily. I . . . really screwed up."

Hayner instantly rebuffed my statement, scolding, "Hey, don't beat yourself up like that. We're all to blame, not just you."

"Yeah, and if you hadn't been here, we woulda all been goners!" Pence chipped in.

"Yeah, you saved us, Hikari!" Olette said, and I could hear genuine gratitude in her voice.

"And you also said you helped Kairi on the Islands, right?" the bipedal dog chimed in helpfully, "So ya see, you didn't mess up!"

I slightly tilted my head to the side, murmuring, "Um, thanks . . . um . . ."

"Oh! The name's Goofy!" the dog, Goofy, said cheerfully, and he probably would have tipped his hat had his hands not been full.

Goofy lightly nudged his shorter companion, who jumped and let out a disgruntled squawk before turning to us, "Donald."

Beside me, Mari giggled, "Hehehe . . . Goofy . . ."

I shook my head before addressing the gaggle in front of me, "Nice to meet you, I suppose. And don't mind the hyena behind me. She's insane."

"So . . ." Sora started, "You guys are Kairi's friends?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, " Well not . . . really. I just saw her in trouble on the beach and decided to help her out."

I decided to cut straight to the chase, dropping my hands to my side as I said, "Hey Sora?"

He looked at me questioningly, asking, "What?"

I paused for a brief moment, internally trying to figure out how best to phrase my question before finally deciding to just roll with it, "Look, I know we've only just met, and I didn't know Kairi for very long, but . . ." I held my head up and looked him dead in the eye, "I want to come with you."

"_Huh_?" he asked, and I could see in his eyes that he hadn't been expecting that. Evidently, neither were Donald and Goofy, as the latter almost dropped the trophy and the former was already vehemently shaking his head.

"Look, just hear me out, okay," I said, before taking a breath and continuing, "I let Kairi down. Hayner, be quiet," I held up a finger in his direction before continuing, "I let her down, and I feel I owe it to her to find her and rescue her. And, if you want another, less noble reason, I also want answers. How we got here, who that guy was, what those things with him were, and I feel that my best bet to getting those answers is with you. So, please, let me come with you."

Mari casually leaned over once I'd finished and said, "You know, she's saying 'please', that means she really wants to come with you."

Donald was still shaking his head, "No, absolutely not!"

Goofy looked moved by my speech, but he didn't speak out, and Sora quietly stepped forward, "Look, Hikari, was it? I know you how you feel, I really do, but the thing is, is that what we do is something normal people can't. I get that you want to save Kairi, and I really am grateful for what you did, but we can't take you with us. I would like too, but . . . we can't. I'm sorry."

I felt my heart sink with every word, though I imagined something like this happening. After all, why _would_ they let some random stranger tag-along with them?

But that didn't mean I couldn't be stubborn about it, "I get the hesitation, but can I at least have a reason why not?"

"It's too dangerous," Donald said curtly, feathery arms crossed.

"You know those creatures you ran into?" Sora said, "Well, there's a lot more of them, and a lot of them are really tough. And Donald's right, it would be dangerous to bring in someone who's never really faced them before."

I winced and looked away, hating being reminded of my inexperience with this enemy I'd never seen before.

Goofy looked remorseful, and tried to comfort me by softly adding, "We can take you back home, if you like."

I opened my mouth to respond, but I never got the chance, because Mari happily responded for me. And by 'happily responded', I meant 'suddenly come flying in from the sidelines, tearfully bewailing my plight.'

"OOH, PLEASE DON'T SAY NO!" she whined plaintively, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes as she flung herself to her knees and begged, "I mean, it's true Hikari's a little scrawny and small and inexperienced right now-"

"Hey!"

"But she'll get better, I promise! Just take her with you, you'll see! You'll both be heroes, saving the princess together! Just please, DON'T SAY NOOOO!"

Sora awkwardly held up his hands, clearly taken aback by this sudden outburst of dramatic emotion. Goofy partially hid behind the trophy, while Donald pressed his hands to his ears and grimaced, shouting, "Would you be quiet!"

"PLEASE!" Mari pleaded tearfully, and she launched herself forward to wrap her arms around Sora's midriff to squeeze. Sora made the wise decision of twisting out of the way, only instead for poor Goofy to get the brunt of Mari's assault.

"WAH!" Goofy shouted as Mari flew head first into his stomach, sending both of them flying backwards. The trophy flew out of his hands along with a small orange pouch that had been hanging on his belt, and I watched as both arced through the air a total of three times before falling back to earth, one with a soft _thud_ and the other with a loud _clang_.

The four multicolored crystals adorning the various ends of the trophy broke off, rolling away in practically every direction. Everyone jumped up, rushing around to grab the runaway jewels before they could become lost.

Hayner, Pence, and Olette had grabbed the red, green, and orange crystals respectively, Pence uttering a relieved, "That was close!"

The last crystal, a pretty blue one, bounced close to Sora's foot, and he leaned down to scoop it up off the ground. He held it in the palm of his hand, examining it closely.

I jumped when I felt something small and hard bounce off of my foot, and I looked down and saw, with surprise, that another blue crystal was innocently sitting next to my foot. I leaned down and plucked it off the ground, examining it with a scrutinizing gaze. It was small, fitting snugly in the palm of my hand, and I could just see the flesh of my palm through the transparent crystal. Where had it come from? I could have sworn there had only been four . . .

Mari was already hopping back over to my side as if nothing had happened, recovering from her fall nearly instantaneously. As soon as she caught sight of the crystal in my hand, she leaned in, eyes shining as she remarked, "Ooh, pretty!"

I looked at her, when a small movement over her shoulder grabbed my attention instead. Sora was still standing in the same spot as before and was silently raising his arm and holding the small crystal towards the sun. The light of the sunset (or sunrise?) bounced off the crystal beautifully, and it almost looked as if he was holding a small orb of radiant fire instead of just a decorative ball. More movement caught my eye, and I watched as Hayner, Pence, and Olette copied Sora's movements, quietly holding out the orbs they held and watching as they caught and fractured the light.

I looked back the one I held in my hand, rolling it contemplatively between my fingers, when Mari suddenly grabbed my wrist and forcibly held my arm out. And the orb caught the light, and then it was me holding the sunset in my hands.

I didn't notice Goofy pick up the pouch he had lost in the previous scuffle, nor the confusion on his face when he looked and saw me holding the orb. My eyes were on the crystal in my hand, and the twilight itself. The peace, the quiet, the simple solidarity of the moment . . . it was nice. It could almost make me forget the strange day I'd had, all the troubles in my life.

Almost.

With a sigh, I gently pried my wrist out of Mari's hand and allowed my arm to fall to the side. The others did too, one by one.

Except Sora, I noticed, to the point where Goofy worryingly called out, "Sora! Sora, are you okay?"

"Huh?" Sora blinked. He turned to look at his friends, then back to the orb in his hand, then back to his friends, puzzlement written all over his face, "What . . .?"

Goofy then held up the orange pouch in his hands, glancing at Olette and sheepishly rubbing the back of his head in what I could only guess was supposed to be some sort of in-joke.

And then the weirdness started happening again. This day was never going to be normal.

A sudden wind kicked up, buffeting us all, and I watched as the crystal in Sora's hands began to glow and _float_ into the air. The glow intensified as it floated up, and a brilliant beam of scintillating light shot up from the crystal and sparked up into the air. The light then took on an odd shape, like it was carving a keyhole out of thin air, radiant and glowing just as brightly as the orb did. Light suddenly flared up under Sora's feet, the outline of a crown drawing itself into existence around his body.

And if I wasn't gawking then, I sure was when Sora extended a hand and summoned a long, key-shaped blade in a brilliant burst of light.

Sora twirled the blade in his hand and aimed it at the floating keyhole above him, a thin beam of light flying out from the tip and striking true. The keyhole flashed once, blinding me, before it vanished completely, as if it had never existed at all.

He turned to us, a firm and resolute look on his face, "A new road has opened. And Kairi and Riku are waiting somewhere along it."

I didn't reply, only pointing feebly at the blade in his hand, mouth opening and closing like a fish and being overall useless in performing its one function. Mari wasn't doing much better, wide-eyed and gob-smacked into silence (a rare thing). I was dimly aware of the fact that everyone else seemed unusually calm about this whole affair, which was kind of unfair. Donald noticed my odd silence first, lifting an . . . did he even have eyebrows?

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, and if I'd been listening, I may have heard a slight mote of concern in his voice underneath the annoyance.

"I . . . you . . . I don't . . ." was all I was able to work out.

Sora walked up to me, a look of concern on his face, a look that was being passed around by everyone else present, "Hey, Hikari, are you okay?"

My mouth wasn't working, so instead, I decided to show them. Taking a shaky breath to soothe my rattled nerves, I slowly extended a hand, closed my eyes, and called.

_FWOOSH!_

Light erupted around my hand, and in the fading sparkles appeared the strange, otherworldly sword that had saved my hide earlier that day. It glimmered in the twilight, the rays bouncing off its metallic body and making it gleam.

Now, I wasn't entirely sure what I had been expecting from the trio, but it certainly wasn't the reaction I got.

"A _KEYBLADE_?!" All three of them practically screamed in tandem, staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the sword in my hands.

"How'd you get that?" Donald demanded, pointing at me accusingly.

"Well, I didn't steal it, if that's what you're implying," I snapped, "I don't even know what this thing _is_!"

"You . . . you don't?" Sora asked, glancing at me in disbelief before his eyes returned to staring at the . . . keyblade, I guess?

"Yeah, what's a keyblade?" Mari cut in, head titled in wonder.

"It's . . . it's, um . . ." Sora didn't finish and instead held up a finger, saying, "One moment please."

He turned around and ushered Donald and Goofy to the side, where all of them huddled together and urgently whispered amongst themselves. Once, Donald stood up and gave me a wary look only for two separate hands to reach up and yank him back down into the huddle. I glanced at Mari, who just shrugged, while Hayner, Pence, and Olette shared perplexed looks between each other.

I watched as they all shared a nod before turning back to face me. I placed a hand on my hip, "Sooo . . . ?"

Sora came up to me, smiling sheepishly, "Hey, um, I know we kinda said you couldn't come with us, but this," he gestured at the keyblade, "Kinda changes things."

I stood up a little straighter, feeling a small spark of hope ignite in my chest, "Does that mean I can come with you?"

The three shared an uncertain look, and I felt my heart sink once more.

Goofy saw my disappointed look and quickly spoke up, "Well, we don't know about the whole adventuring thing yet, but we can take ya to someone who can give you the answers you're lookin' for!"

"But I_ can_ come with you?" I prodded insistently.

My spirits lifted dramatically when they nodded, though I only outwardly showed it through a small half-smile as I said, "Alright then. Let's do it."

"Hoooold on one tinsy-tiny, itty-bitty, little moment!" Mari cut in, looping her arm through mine, "There's just one little snag to this agreement! I'm coming with Hikari!"

"What?" Donald squawked, "Now wait just a minute-!"

"Or Hikari doesn't get to come with you," Mari finished, and I, along with everyone else, balked at her. She looked between us, unfazed, "We are best friends. We go together, or not at all!" She smiled and added, "If it helps, I'm top of my class with a bow!"

"Mari- " I started, only for her to press a finger to my lips.

"Hush hush," she said, lightly tapping my lips, and I had to wrestle down the powerful urge to bite.

The trio looked at each other, and Goofy rubbed the back of his head, "Gawrsh, it wouldn't be that bad to bring her along with us, would it?"

"Of course it would!" Donald started it up, clearly angered by this new development. He seemed to get angry a lot of things, now that I thought about it.

"But we need Hikari to come with us," Sora added, looking at Donald pointedly. I was just going to assume I didn't have a voice in this argument.

Donald looked like he was about to argue, but stopped himself and dropped his arms with an irritated huff. I guess that meant the other two had won, because they gave Mari an affirmative nod.

"So, I guess that means 'welcome aboard', Hikari and Mari, " Sora said amicably, and he politely extended a hand.

It took me a moment to realize that he wanted me to shake it, and I awkwardly accepted, lightly shaking before pulling my hand away. I didn't really do touching. Mari only got away with it because there was no stopping her.

"Alright!" Mari pumped up her arm in excitement while the other one squeezed tight around my neck, and I gasped, "Get off!"

"So I take it that means you guys are takin' off?" Hayner asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah, looks like," Sora replied.

"Promise you guys will drop buy for a visit?" Olette asked, and Sora and the others nodded.

"Promise," he replied.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy began to walk up the station steps, beckoning for us to follow.

I started to ascend, when a voice briefly stopped me, "Oh, and Hikari?"

I turned around and looked at Hayner, questioning, "Yeah?"

Holding his head up and grinning, he said, "When you come back, you and me have a duel to settle."

I gave him a sly little half-smile, "Settle it we will, don't you worry."

I turned around and continued walking, but not before tossing a few more challenging words into the air, "By the way, I do hope you like the taste of dirt."

Behind me, I heard Olette and Pence chuckle, and Hayner gave off an equally challenging, yet friendly, retort, "Hey, we'll see whose eatin' dirt when the time comes. But I'll tell you right now, it ain't gonna be me!"

I smiled to myself and held up a hand in farewell.

I didn't need to look behind me to know that they were waving back.

Mari spun back on her heel, waving with both hands and crying, "Bye you guuuys! I'll miss yoooouuu!"

I shook my head and pretended that I didn't feel the way Mari did, at least not as strongly. But the pain of separation wasn't a pain you get used too, as I would know, and no matter how hard I would try to deny it, I had made a connection with the small, back-alley gang who'd helped us out. But as we approached the train station, I held my chin up high. I didn't know when I'd see them again, but the promise remained between us that provided a sort of certainty, for me and for them; I _would_ see them again. And when I did, Hayner and I would go at it with Pence, Olette, Mari, and hopefully Kairi cheering us on from the sidelines.

The time I spent in Twilight Town had been a weird one, and that's not even getting into the crazy, supernatural bits. But by the end of it, I'd met new people and made new allies.

Perhaps . . . even a few friends.

And now, I left with a new purpose.

To find Kairi as I'd promised and to find the answers to this mysterious new destiny that had suddenly, but surely, opened up before me.

* * *

Rate and Review if you like. :)


	5. Catching Fire

Ring-a-ding-ding, new update! Sorry for the long wait. Like, really sorry. College takes away you life. Anyway, I hope this chapter is worth the wait.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, as usual. Not even my own life.

* * *

Catching Fire

"Hikari."

"Mari . . ."

"Hi-_kari_!"

"I see it."

"Hikari, we're in _space_!"

And indeed we were. As far as the eye could see, nothing but black and open space spattered with sparkling motes of white light that, back on the real world, we would call stars. I guess they were still stars now, but staring up into the sky to look at them versus being surrounded by them were two very different things, so much so you couldn't help but feel you were on another plane of existence.

Heh, I guess in a way I was.

"Staaaaars . . ." Mari moaned, her hands and face smushed against the glass as if she couldn't get close enough to the void outside.

I rolled my eyes, saying, "You know, if the wind changes, your face will get stuck like that."

Mari mumbled some sort of response, but I couldn't quite decipher what it was since a sheet of glass was in the way of her mouth. Shaking my head, I turned to face the interior of the ship.

It was fairly small and awkwardly shaped, at least on the outside. Inside, it was still small, but I suppose I could call it comfortable. After all, I could still move around and walk if I wanted to, though the two engineers had suggested I not do that while we were in flight.

The two engineers who were also chipmunks.

The place me and Mari had been told to stay at was what I guess could be called a 'passenger deck', a la spaceship. There were several other empty seats here, none in use, obviously, save for the spots me and Mari occupied. Didn't give much in the way of arm room, but Mari refused to sit anywhere else, so I was kind of stuck until we finally landed. Sora and the others had gone off to the cockpit. To fly the spaceship. Because things weren't weird enough, clearly.

All that aside, I couldn't help but wonder where we were going, and small pulses of excitement tingled down my spine whenever I thought about it. I mean, it wasn't everyday you got to travel in space and land on another freakin' world, so I couldn't help but fabricate different scenarios in my head of what it would be like. Would it be like the islands? Would it be more futuristic, or more primitive? Aliens? Humans?

I bottled in my anticipation and forced myself to sit still, though I was still quite impatient. Who wouldn't be? Especially when I had the hope of possibly getting some answers to this whole situation I'd unwittingly found myself in.

_And maybe a change of clothes too, _I thought to myself, grimacing at the dirty smudges smeared across the front of my shirt and god knows where else.

The spaceship gave a sudden lurch, and I reflexively grabbed hold of my armrests as my body was jerked left and right by the spastic rocking. Mari, who hadn't been able to grab a hold of anything in time, went flying past me with a startled shriek, side slamming into the chair in front of her and flipping over it like a ragdoll. Thankfully, the sudden shaking just as suddenly ended, but just in case, I didn't let go.

The intercom over my head statically blared to life, and a very high-pitched voice said, "Attention all passengers, we are now in orbit! Please prepare for landing and thank you for flying with us today!"

The sound of a sharp click, and everything was silent once more. I grumbled to myself, "Gee, thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to give you guys a five-star."

Mari groaned, feet stuck straight up in the air and back braced uncomfortably against the floor, looking dazed, "Mommy, I don't wanna go to school today . . ."

. . . Possibly even unconscious. Sighing in irritation, I leaned over and poked her in the leg, voice curt and commanding as I said, "Come on, get up."

Mari's leg trembled, and I heard a soft giggle, "Hehehe, aaaah, Hikari, that feels so good when you do it like that . . ."

The hand still gripping the armrest tightened considerably as I felt blood rush to my face, and a low growl worked it's way up the back of my throat. And still Mari kept talking, with a stupid, lopsided grin on her face the whole time, "Hey, couldya do it again? Hehehehe, that feels . . . so niiiice.~"

A vein popped. Grabbing the armrests and leaning back, face red and feeling livid, I lifted a leg and kicked her with all the force I could muster.

"YYEEEOOOWWWWCH!"

{******}

We landed only minutes later. And by landed, I mean we _warped_ out of the spaceship and onto a stone walkway overlooking a town. I was officially on another world. I stared around, and actually found myself a little perplexed at how . . . normal everything looked. There were houses, buildings, and aside from the fact that they were all a little worn down, they were obviously made for the human aesthetic, with shingled roofs and smoking chimneys. The air smelled no different from the way it had on the islands, save for the lack of brine and salt. The sky was cloudy and tinged pink and orange, close to sunset. The only thing that looked really different, and I mean really different, was a large, looming shadow of a great castle just beyond the town's borders. It was clearly in great disrepair, as I could see a great number of holes blasted into the walls and turrets literally hanging off the side, suspended in the air by great cables of steel. It was a bit of an eyesore, if I was to be perfectly honest. To sum up my feelings, it wasn't at all what I expected it to be.

"So . . .this is another world?" I asked, just to be sure.

"Yep! This is Hollow Bastion," Sora said. He glanced around and meekly rubbed the back of his neck, "I know it doesn't look like much right now, but we have friends here working on that."

I quirked an eyebrow, "Friends?"

"Yup, the 'Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee'," Goofy clarified for me, "Don't worry, we'll introduce ya!"

I inwardly cringed at the idea of meeting more strangers. I am not the social butterfly Mari is. I liked my solitude.

"Hey, put him down!" I heard an irritated Donald yell, and we all turned to see Mari holding up a . . . I wasn't sure, actually. It looked like an animal of some kind, a rodent maybe, with a small red ball hanging from it's head via a thin antennae. Small black wings were on it's back, flapping madly as it struggled to get out of Mari's grip. To my surprise, it spoke, "Put me down, kupo!"

"But he's so cuuuute!" Mari whined, holding the poor, suffering creature close to her chest.

"Irk!" the little creature eeped out, white fur turning blue as the oxygen was forced from it's lungs.

"He's not yours!" Donald said adamantly, hands placed squarely on his hips as he gave Mari a scolding glare.

I pressed two fingers to the bridge of my nose and exhaled deeply, shaking my head, "Mari-"

"Please, Hikari?" she pleaded, bottom lip quivering in an attempt to garner my sympathy. Of which she should know I had none of, by now.

I glared at her and curtly said, "Put the puffball down. Now."

Mari's face fell, but she gave in, arms going slack. The little creature squirmed out of her grip and hopped to the ground, turning once to give a her a firm scolding, "And don't you think of doing that again, kupo!"

Then it turned to _me_, pointing angrily and declaring, "And I am a moogle, ma'am, not a puffball, kupo!"

"Uh . . ." I floundered, but it was already storming away. Goofy bowed his head apologetically toward it, saying, "Sorry about that."

"Hmph," it snorted, barely even giving him the time of day before turning and storming around the corner, vanishing from sight.

Sora's lips pursed as he watched it go, "Well, that was kinda rude."

"He was kinda angry," I countered, giving a pointed look at Mari, who looked away and began whistling innocently.

_Clink, clink, clink, clink!_

My forehead creased together in confusion when I heard the noise coming back up the walkway. Everyone else had clearly heard it too, as we all turned our heads to where the sound was coming from. It sounded like . . . armored feet? Guards? Did the little puffball call guards on us?

But what came trotting past the turn in the walkway was not any sort of guard I'd ever seen. They were short and stumpy, their bodies oddly proportioned and disjointed as they loped awkwardly along the ground. The only things on their bodies I could see clearly that wasn't black were their silver helmets and the very tips of their fingers, which ended in sharp red claws. Beside me, Sora, Donald, and Goofy suddenly let out surprised gasps, alarm appearing on their faces at the creatures sudden appearance. A thrill of worry sent goose bumps traveling up my arms as I straightened, getting ready for a fight. But it seemed that wasn't what those armored things were here to do, because suddenly they all simultaneously leapt into the air and disappeared into swirling balls of shadow, the orbs quickly dissipating and leaving nothing to indicate they had even been there at all.

There was a short moment of baffled silence, when Sora quietly asked, "Do you think . . .?"

"Look's like there's more Heartless now," Goofy replied, Donald nodding beside him in affirmation of something that I had no idea about.

But before I could even ask, several grey, twisting shapes floated up the walkway and into view, and my heart leapt into my throat. I may not have known what Heartless were, but I sure knew these guys. I dropped into a defensive stance, every muscle tense and rigid even when they floated over the wall and disappeared over the edge.

Donald let out a troubled sigh, and Sora swallowed, worry evident in his voice, "Let's go check in with everyone."

He turned to me and Mari, "You guys stay behind us, okay?"

"I think they're at Merlin's" Goofy said, and the three of them started moving away, steps hurried. Mari and I glanced at each other before following ourselves, but so many questions burned on the edge of my tongue. I needed answers. Seriously.

We ran down the walkway and entered a surprisingly empty quad area, almost devoid of any life save for the few open shops nearby. A small fountain was set into the wall in the opposite corner, the water flowing languidly into the pool beneath it. Sora and his friends were already departing however, so I could only give it a cursory glance before continuing. We ran up a set of cobbled stairs and into another quaint shopping area, also mostly devoid of people save for a man leaning against the wall, arms crossed and face severe. He was dressed in all black. Black trench coat, black boots, black pants, everything. Well, except for a sleeve on his right arm, which he seemed to have lost. His hair was blonde and also incredibly spiky, and he seemed like he was lost deep in his own thoughts.

Sora's hurried pace slowed to a stop when he noticed the man standing there, and he suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, Cloud!"

I rolled my eyes. Of course Sora knew who he was. The man himself, Cloud, I guess, opened his eyes and gave the boy only a glance before returning to his previous position, seemingly unconcerned by his presence.

The three all gathered around him while me and Mari hung back. Well, I hung back. Mari, eyes shining with curiosity, quietly crept forward, her interest peaked.

When Cloud didn't immediately respond, Donald put forth the question, "Whatcha doin'?"

"I'll get him," Cloud said, though it sounded more like he was talking to himself, "This time, we'll settle it. Me and the one who embodies all the darkness in me."

I lifted an eyebrow. Just what the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Huh, I thought you looked kinda different, Cloud," Donald remarked, and Sora nodded in agreement. Both looked completely undisturbed by Cloud's strange tangent.

"If I do, it's his fault," Cloud responded, not bothering to elaborate further. Was he doing that on purpose?

I rolled my eyes and, without thinking, blurted out, "My God, are you always this cryptic?"

Cloud lifted his head and seemed to take notice of me for the first time, but his blue eyes were so guarded it was hard to tell if he was curious or irritated, "Hm, I don't recall seeing you before. Friends of yours?"

The question was directed at Sora, who nodded, "Yeah, they're with us. This is Hikari and Mari."

Mari gave Cloud a catty grin and said, "You're hot. Can I date you?"

Cloud didn't give a truly visible display of any emotion save for a very faint lift of an eyebrow, which honestly told me enough. I slammed a hand against my face and fought down the urge to kill, saying through gritted teeth, "Mari, he's twice your age. You can't date him."

Mari's smile only got wider as she turned to look at me, practically purring as she teased, "Aaw, is my little Hikari jeeeealous?"

I gave her a cool and unwavering stare, hand dropping idly to my side, when suddenly my leg lashed out and smashed straight into Mari's leg, right on the bruise she'd received from me earlier. She went down, her whole body trembling as she clutched her aching leg in pain and whimpered, "Hikariiiii, why are you always so mean to meee?"

"You do this to yourself," I said tersely, staring down at her.

Sora let out a short and awkward laugh, holding up his hands as he tried to explain our behavior to Cloud, "Hehehe, don't worry about it Cloud, they're . . . always, like that?"

"Too often," Donald said in a disgruntled tone, shaking his head and giving us an annoyed glance as Goofy rubbed the back of his head.

"I see," Cloud said, tone a perfect neutral that must have taken years to perfect.

"Anyway," I cut in sharply, "Just who the hell are you talking about?"

"Hikari . . ." Sora sighed. I looked at him once, rolled my eyes, and rephrased my sentence, "Who are you talking about? . . . Please."

Maybe I was tired or maybe it was a trick of the light, but I could have sworn I saw the corners of Cloud's mouth twitch just the tiniest bit.

"Sephiroth," Cloud said as if it were obvious, "Tell me if you see him."

"Okay," Sora agreed, "What's he look like?"

"Silver hair. Carries a long sword," Cloud replied without looking up. I briefly wondered that if we snuck away really quiet-like, would he still keep talking?

"Sure. Well, be seeing you, Cloud," Sora said, and he turned to move away.

Cloud stood up from his leaning spot, warning, "Be careful. He messes with your head, makes you think darkness is the only way."

Huh. Maybe he's not as apathetic as he makes himself out to be.

Then, a new voice cut in, "Is something wrong?"

I looked to my left and saw a young woman garbed in a pink dress standing close to us. Her brown hair was tied back into a long braid save for two curled strips that fell around her pretty face, and her eyes were a lovely shade of dark green. She calmly walked passed us and followed Cloud, who had started to move away from us in what almost looked like an effort to retreat, Sora watching her walk past with a soft, "Uh . . ."

"Who's that?" I asked as the woman walked by.

"That's Aerith," Goofy said, watching her curiously.

Cloud stopped walking and turned back to the woman, saying, "It's nothing."

I frowned. Even Mari could see through that lie. Clearly Aerith did too, as she leaned in closer, and I watch as Cloud actually leaned _back. _He seemed to wilt under her gaze, as he finally admitted, "I don't want you involved."

Aerith leaned back and place a finger under her chin, as if thinking about something, before straightening and saying straight to his face, "You mean you don't want me there when you go away again."

"I just-" Cloud paused and seemed to think carefully about his next words, "Listen, even if I go far away, I'll come back."

I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands into fists as a wave of painful nostalgia almost flooded my system. Liar, I wanted to yell as anger swelled up from inside me. But I knew better than to act on that instinct. After all, it wasn't Cloud I wanted to yell those words too.

_Even if I'm far away, I'll always come back. _

I forced myself to calm down and return to the present before I missed the rest of the conversation.

"Do you mean it?" Aerith prodded, clearly trying to wring a promise out of him.

And when he looked away from her, away from her eyes, it made me wonder if his promise was real, "Yeah."

Aerith saw it too, "See? You don't look so sure."

But then she smiled at him, "Well, okay, I understand. Go- get things settled."

This seemed to catch Cloud off guard, and it caught me off guard too. Was she really giving up that easily? "Huh?"

"No matter how far away you are, once you have your light . . ." Aerith said, voice reflecting a wisdom beyond her years, "I'm sure it'll lead you right back here. Right?"

"I suppose," Cloud said, though his face didn't give a hint that he believed her.

"So I'll stay here. And I'll cheer for you," Aerith said softly, yet earnestly, "Okay Cloud?"

"Okay," Cloud agreed. Then he turned around and walked away, and I felt a sudden yet strong urge to tell Aerith to follow him. But instead, I clamped the urge down and kept silent.

Sora had gone to stand beside Aerith, both watching Cloud's retreating form.

"Wonder if he'll be okay," Aerith said softly, concern in her voice.

"He'll be fine," Sora said confidently, "I'm sure there's some light in him somewhere."

"You're right," Aerith agreed.

She turned around and I realized she was looking at me, hands laced behind her back and a friendly smile on her face, "And who might you be?"

"Hey, I'm Mari!" Mari said instantly, pointing her thumb at herself. She then slapped a hand against my back, smiling, "And this is Hikari!"

"Oof," I grunted, giving her a sour look before looking back at Aerith, "Hi."

"We're taking them to see Merlin," Sora said, and I looked at him in surprise. Just when had we agreed we were going to see 'Merlin', whoever that was?

Aerith, on the other hand, needed no further explanation, "Oh, I see. Well then, I'll get out of your way now. It was nice to see you again Sora."

"You too, Aerith," Sora responded in kind, nodding.

She then looked at me, "And it was nice to meet you, Hikari, Mari."

"Uh, likewise," I said, though I didn't feel to sure about that. She seemed plenty nice, but first impressions aren't always true ones.

"Bye-bye Aerith," Mari said giddily, waving as Aerith walked away.

After she left, Sora turned around and said, "Okay, we're almost there. Let's go, guys."

We walked on, and finally, I couldn't hold in my questions anymore, "Hey Sora? Who's Merlin?"

"Merlin's a wizard," Sora explained, "He knows a lot about magic and he's helped us out before too."

"Uh-huh," I said, "And does this wizard specialize in . . . keyblades, or whatever?"

"Well," Sora seemed to mull over what to say, which, to me, didn't bode very well, "He can explain it a lot better than I can."

"There's a lot of stuff he can tell ya about," Goofy chipped in.

"I just hope he's there," Donald said, arms crossed.

We turned a corner, and just ahead of us I could see a few well-worn stone steps leading up to a wooden door. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were already making their way over to the house, and it was pretty clear that that was their destination. I guess technically it was mine as well.

Sora gripped the handle and pulled, the door swinging open easily and without a fight, and we all walked past the threshold into the room beyond.

Inside was a small, decidedly cramped living room piled with books, papers and other miscellaneous goods. On the opposite wall of the door was a giant computer, and I mean giant, easily covering a good portion of the opposite wall. Wires trailed all across the ground and some even hung from the ceiling, and the hum of electricity thrummed all throughout the room.

Two figures were in front of the computer, one standing, the other sitting. The one standing was a young girl, maybe even my age, wearing a tight-fitting and sleeveless black tank top and black shorts. Two wristbands, one white, the other black, were fit snug around her wrists, and her boots went up past her knees. A black and silver headband was tied tight around her head, doing little to stop her short black hair from falling in her face.

The other was a much older man, sitting and typing away furiously on the keyboard. He wore a white shirt with an orange vest pulled tight over it, along with blue cargo pants and black shoes. Goggles were perched on the man's head, and his short blonde hair was gelled so it stood straight up on his head. A cigar hung from the mans lips, a thin trail of smoke flitting off the burning tip. At the sound of the opening door, both turned to face us.

The elderly man grinned, clearly pleased to see Sora and his friends, and in a slightly raspy voice, said, "Hey fellas, you're just in time! Got some good news for ya, so get yourselves over to Leon's."

"Oh, what kind of news?" Sora asked, interest clear in his voice.

The girl eagerly jumped in, taking the reigns of the conversation as she exclaimed, "We found the computer Ansem was using!"

The three in front of me shared an excited look, Donald even pulling his arms up to his chest as he shouted, "Oh boy!"

Also, that's another thing to add to my ever-growing list of questions; Who is Ansem?

"Yep," The elderly man said, "Should be able to get all kinds of info on the Heartless and the Organization."

What is a Heartless, and what organization?

"And maybe something on the dark realm, too," Sora said hopefully, "It looks like that's where Riku and Kairi are."

What?

"And the King!" Donald exclaimed, and that's where I cracked.

"Okay, slow down please!" I shouted, "_What_ are you all talking about? A king? Heartless? An organization? And Kairi's _where_?!"

"Obviously a king, a monster, an organization, and the dark realm," Mari answered for me as she listed everything off with her fingers, a coy smile on her face. I scowled at her.

The two by the computer gave each other a look before the elderly man sat up, "And, uh, who might these two young'uns be?"

"This is Hikari and Mari," Sora explained, nodding to each of us in turn, "They're here to see Merlin. Do you know where he is?"

"Oh, well," the girl said, frowning and scratching her cheek, "He's . . . not here right now. Sorry."

"Oh," Sora said, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Donald's head droop in disappointment, "Well, could you give him the message for us when he comes back? It's kind of important."

"Sure we could. Oh, and by the way, my name's Yuffie, World's Greatest Ninja!" the girl said, giving me a thumbs up.

"I'm Cid," the older man said, swiping his thumb across the tip of his nose, "Nice to meet ya."

"You're a ninja?" Mari asked, eyes sparking with curiosity, "Really and truly?"

Yuffie smiled and winked, "You bet!"

"Oh, oh, oh, can you do that crazy vanishing trick with the smoke and the bombs and the darkness?" Mari asked.

"Sure I can! Couldn't call myself the World's Greatest Ninja if I couldn't even do that basic trick," Yuffie said, and Mari started to bear an increasingly disturbing resemblance to a five year old child who'd just met Santa Claus.

"Okay, that's all well and good," I cut in, holding my hand up, "But you didn't answer my questions. What the hell is going on in this place?"

Cid seemed to raise an eyebrow at this, "You're travelin' with Sora, and you don't know what's goin' on?"

I gave him a look, "No, I don't, and since this Merlin guy isn't here, I figure you could at least give me the bare-boned basics."

Cid turned his gaze to Sora, who shyly rubbed the back of his head, explaining, "We only recently started traveling together."

"Uh-huh. Well, if that's the case, someone should fill you in, especially if this is goin' to become a usual thing for you," Cid said. He looked at Sora and his friends, "You guys should get goin'. The computer room's just through the castle postern. Leon's waitin'."

"Got it, but . . ." he glanced at me and Mari, and I shrugged, "Go on. I'm here for answers, remember. They can fill me in while you go do whatever. I'm sure you'll feel better without having to baby-sit someone on the way there, anyway."

"And I'm here to give my friend moral support!" Mari said happily, "And also, ninjas."

Sora looked a bit surprised, but he nodded and said "Well, if you say so. We'll be back soon."

"Take care of yourselves, ladies," Goofy said politely as he made his way for the door.

"And don't get into any trouble," Donald ordered, though the words were well-meaning.

I gave him a half-smile, "I'll try. No promises, though."

And with that, the three left, the door swinging shut behind them. With a sigh and bracing myself for whatever I was about to learn, I turned to Cid and said, "Alright, hit me. What exactly is this whole thing about?"

"Well, the first things you outta know about are the Heartless," Cid began, folding his arms over the top of his chair and leaning forward, "They're basically the livin' darkness from people's hearts. They go around stealin' hearts and all that. The others are called Nobodies. They're . . . well, it's kinda hard to explain . . ."

"They're basically nothing," Yuffie took up the story from there, and I lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Nothing?" I asked.

Yuffie nodded, "Yep! They're what's left of a person if their heart is stolen by a Heartless. Most of them are mindless, but they're being controlled by the worst of them all."

"Worst of them all?" Mari asked, wide-eyed.

"The biggest and baddest Nobodies out there," Cid said, "Organization XIII."

"They're the only Nobodies that actually look like people," Yuffie explained, "Aside from that, we don't really know that much about them."

I nodded slowly, processing this new information in my head, "Okay, so their basically enemy Number One. What do they look like?"

"What do all of these things look like?" Mari asked, "Not very cute and cuddly, I bet."

"Well, you can tell 'em apart by the symbols they have somewhere on their bodies," Cid said. He turned around and began typing away on the keyboard, "Here, let me draw you up a picture."

The screen flared, and a digital image appeared of a small, ant-like creature, it's whole body black and featureless save for two bright, bulbous yellow eyes centered on it's head.

"Those are shadows, the most basic form of Heartless. Pretty weak stuff," Yuffie said.

Another image came up, this with the symbol of a black heart with what looked like red barbed wire forming an X on it's surface.

"And that's the symbol most heartless will have," Cid explained.

The computer screen flashed yet again, and my heart quickened with the image that came up. A grey-suited, thin creature with a black void for a face, zipper resembling jagged teeth . . .

"I know that one. That's a Nobody, isn't it?" I asked, though in my heart, I already knew the answer.

Yuffie and Cid looked at each other before Cid answered, "So, you've already gotten into a few scraps with 'em, eh?"

"Yeah, I have," I said.

"Well, they're the easy stuff. The ones you really gotta watch out for is this," Cid turned away again, and one more image appeared on the screen. An image of a person in a long, dark, _familiar_ cloak.

Heart thudding, I asked, "Is that an Organization XIII member?"

"Mhm," Yuffie clarified, "And they're really tough, so try and avoid them if you can."

"Yeah. I know. I had the dubious pleasure of meeting one," I said, and both Yuffie and Cid balked at me.

"You did?!" Yuffie asked in shock.

"If that's true, you're lucky you're even standing here right now, kid" Cid commented, though a faint glimmer of new respect had appeared in his eyes.

"Tell me about it," I said grimly, thinking back to when this whole mess had started.

"Right, so, those are the 'bare-boned basics'," Cid said, the image disappearing, "Now, I get to ask you a few questions."

"Huh?" I asked dumbly.

"Hey, fair's fair," Yuffie said, hands on her hips and smiling.

My shoulders dropped and I held up my hands, sighing, "I guess. Fire away."

"Why exactly are you here?" Cid asked immediately, eyes narrowed, "Sora doesn't exactly picks up strangers and give them a lift in the Gummi ship for the fun of it. Well, Donald wouldn't let him, anyway, without a good reason."

"So what's yours?" Yuffie asked, and I could tell I wasn't getting away until I answered.

Should I show them? They were Sora's friends, true, but they weren't my friends. The only reason I had shown Sora at all was because he could do it as well.

Mari nudged me in the side, "Go on, it's not like it would hurt."

I glanced at her before lowering my head, placing a hand on my hip as I tried to figure out how best to word it, "Well, it's a bit of a long story."

"Just give us the 'bare-boned basics'," Cid said half-jokingly as he went to grab a hold of a mug resting on the desk, and I scowled at him.

Straightening my shoulders, I held out a hand and said, "Okay, long story short, I can do this."

_SHING!_

The otherworldly blade shone into existence, sparkling just as beautifully as when I'd first held it.

Cid choked and spluttered as the liquid in his cup went down the wrong pipe, spitting what was left back into his mug as he coughed. Yuffie's eyes bugged and her jaw dropped, pointing stupidly at the sword in my hand.

Mari giggled, "See, I told you it couldn't hurt."

Still partly sputtering, Cid choked, "You have a keyblade?!"

I stared at him, "Yes. Yes, I do, and I'd really like to know why that's so amazing."

And to my surprise, it was another voice that answered me, "It's more than amazing, my dear. Much, much more."

I spun around on my heel to face the door, and saw an old man with a long white beard standing there, a friendly smile on his wizened face and a pair of spectacles perched on his long nose. A long blue robe covered his body from neck to toe, and a pointy wizard hat was set on top of his head.

"Ah! Merlin, you're back!" Yuffie shouted, though her eyes continued to stray to the sword in my hand. But she'd said enough.

"So, you're Merlin," I stated plainly, "I was told you could help me with this."

I held out my sword for further emphasis, and Merlin came forward to stand in front of me without further prompting. He examined the blade up and down, nodding, "Ah yes, remarkable!"

I rolled my eyes, "What's remarkable? What is this thing?"

He gave me a kind yet knowing smile before lightly tapping the blade in my hand, "This, my dear, is a keyblade, a very, very powerful weapon. Oh, but where are my manners? Would any of you ladies care for a small spot of tea?"

With a practiced roll of his wrist, he made a motion of tapping the air with his index finger. To my amazement, three teacups and a teapot popped into existence, and Merlin casually plucked the teapot out of thin air and poured tea into each cup. Once that was done, the teapot vanished and he lightly picked up one of the teacups and took a leisurely sip and sighed in pleasure, "Aaah, that's just what I needed!"

Mari had already reached out and snatched one of the teacups for herself, examining it with a curious eye as she held it up with both of her hands, staring in wonder, "Ooooh."

The last teacup floated to me, and I stared at it, honestly quite baffled. Merlin made a soft gesture for me to take it, "Go on, it's perfectly safe."

I glanced at him, looked back to the tea floating in midair, and finally, I slowly reached out and took hold of it by it's small, delicately curved handle. As soon as I grabbed it, the cup almost immediately gained weight and I almost dropped the thing, but I quickly got my bearings before I made a fool out of myself. I slowly brought it up to my lips, drawing up a whiff of apples from the steaming cup. Knowing full well that the wizard was watching me, I took a hesitant sip.

"Mm," I hummed in surprise, finding that the taste of brewed tea and apple was actually quite appealing. I held it up, nodding, "Good tea."

Merlin beamed, "I'm certainly glad you think so. Now, you certainly know my name, but I have yet the pleasure of knowing yours. Would you care to enlighten me?"

"Oh, right," I said, "My name's Hikari. Nice to meet you."

"And I'm Mari, sir!" Mari said giddily. She held up the cup in her hands, and I noticed with some surprise that it was completely drained dry, "May I have some more tea? Iss gewd."

"Of course you may! You are my guests, after all," Merlin said amicably, and the teapot once again materialized into existence and poured_ itself _before disappearing again. I glanced at the cup in my hands, nodded, and decided not to ask questions.

Well, except for the really important ones, like, "So, about this keyblade?"

"Yes, about this keyblade, I'm all ears," Cid interjected from the back, and I realized that both him and Yuffie were listening very intently.

"Ah yes, of course," Merlin said cheerily, "You see, my dear, the keyblade is a special weapon designed for many different purposes, and only those chosen can wield one."

I nodded, listening closely, when I blinked, "Wait. Chosen?"

"Yes, chosen. And now that you have been chosen, you must understand the responsibility that comes with such a power, Hikari. Now, I'm sure my companions have told you about the Heartless and the Nobodies?" he asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, I asked them to fill me in."

"That's good. You need to know them, because now that you have the keyblade, they will see you as the enemy, for it is only those who wield the keyblade that can truly destroy them," Merlin explained.

"I . . . was afraid it would be something like that," I said stiffly.

Merlin nodded, and I saw a small glimmer of sadness in his eyes, "Yes, unfortunately."

With a wave of his hand, the teacups disappeared, much to Mari's disappointment, "Aaaaw . . ."

I ignored her, focusing on Merlin to ask another question, "So I take it Sora is another chosen?"

"That he is! And he has done much in the short time he has been one," A contemplative looked suddenly crossed his face, and I heard Yuffie ask, "What are you thinking, Merlin?"

Merlin folded his arms over his chest, closing his eyes and running a hand over his long beard before nodding, "I'm thinking that it's not an accident that Sora found Hikari when he did," He opened his eyes and looked at me, "I feel that you have a very important role to fulfill in the days to come, my dear."

"Goodie," I said flatly.

"Will I be there too?" Mari asked, leaning over my shoulder. Then she leaned back and answered herself, nodding, "Yeah, I'll be there too."

Merlin smiled at the blonde-haired girl, a twinkle in his eye, "I have a feeling that you are here for a reason as well, Mari. Your friend will need you in the days to come."

"Course she will, she's helpless without me!" Mari chirped, grinning from ear to ear.

I rolled my eyes before turning back to Merlin, "Anyway, what exactly am I supposed to do?"

"I'm afraid that is answer I cannot give you. But, I may be able to help you reach it," Merlin said.

He walked over to us and gently nudged Mari and I together so we stood only a few inches apart before shuffling back to where he'd previously stood. A look of concentration had settled over his old face, and he busily rolled up his sleeves as he muttered, "Now, I'm sure I've got enough magic in these old bones to whip up something . . ."

I swallowed, starting to feel a bit nervous, especially when he motioned for Yuffie and Cid to stand back. Turning to us, he wiggled his fingers and said, "Now, hold still you two, this may tingle."

My eyes widened, "What do you mean _tingle_?"

I didn't get an answer, because suddenly I was bathed in a light so bright I had to close my eyes. As promised, a sharp tingle swept all across my body, leaving goose pimples in it's wake. Thankfully, it only lasted for a few moments, and I was able to reopen them. The light was gone, with only a few frail sparkles that hovered around us evidence of it's existing at all. I looked around inquiringly, frowning. Nothing seemed different . . .

"WHHHHHOOOOOOAAAAA!" Mari hollered in exhilaration, and I winced and covered me ears, "Hikari, look at me! Look at me, look at me, look at me_, look at me!_ _I'm COOL!_"

I turned to her and opened my mouth to tell her to shut up, only for the words to die in my throat. Mari was jumping around all over the place, twirling in circles and smiling hugely. And her clothes . . . holy crap.

The school uniform she'd been wearing was gone, and in it's place was perhaps one of the shiniest outfits I'd ever seen. Now, she was wearing a white, form-fitting shirt with an orange bolero jacket pulled over it, the edges of the wide-rimmed sleeves encrusted with small crystals sewn in the shape of flowers. A smooth pale orange skirt with a small notch on the left side was around her waist with a brown leather belt holding it fast, the buckle resembling a flower with dark orange crystals decorating its surface. She wore white leggings underneath that, the edges coming to a stop just below her knees. On her feet were orange shoes with the white laces tied tightly into neat little bows. And on her back was slung a long, smooth bow, it's body comprised of a dark grey metal that contrasted sharply with Mari's outfit, the thin thread of silver twine almost glowing. The only thing that was the same about her, I realized, were the little orange bows in her hair, still holding the strands in place.

"Mari . . . you . . ." I stammered, unable to get the words out. I mean, what does one say to that?

Hold up, if Mari changed, did that mean-?

"I know right? This is so amazing! I look so _cute_! And you do too!" Mari yelled ecstatically, "Come see!"

Firmly grabbing hold of my arm, she all but threw me in front of the nearby mirror, and when I caught sight of the person staring back at me, I had to do a double take.

Gone was the dirty school uniform I'd been wearing before. In place of the top was a sleeveless, violet halterneck that covered everything from my stomach to my neck, as the fabric was wound around my throat to keep it from falling. Two black stripes ran up the sides of the shirt, the seams ruffled and accentuating the violet color nicely. A cool draft of air suddenly breezed past my upper back, and I experimentally reached around and found, with surprise, that the shirt only went a little above the middle of my back. The rest was bare. Good thing it was secured around my neck. On my hands were a pair of gloves, black with a sun sewn onto the back of each with purple thread. They fit quite comfortably, and they didn't inhibit movement when I experimentally moved my fingers. A dark purple waterfall skirt had replaced my old one, falling at a smooth and uneven slant. The left side, nearer to the front, ended a little below my thigh, revealing pretty much my entire leg, while the right side swept down and back, the longest part brushing against the top of my right ankle. A thin leather belt held it in place, the gleaming silver buckle standing out against the dark ensemble. Black boots with a silver buckle adorning the top were on my feet, coming to a stop just below my knees, and each had a small heel that wasn't so pronounced that it was uncomfortable. Thank God for that. The last thing I noticed was an armlet of black metal on my left arm, the thin strip coiling around it like a snake and the two unattached ends curling away from each other, the tips pointing in opposite directions. In-between the empty space, right between the two opposing ends, a smooth, purple gem had been set, delicately crafted to resemble a seven-pointed sun. To my relief, my bracelet was still in place, right as I'd left it, and my favorite headband had been untouched.

I slowly twisted left and right to get a good view, studying this new attire carefully. The keyblade in my hand glowed brightly, also a sharp contrast to the clothes I now wore, but somehow, it worked. And the more I looked, the more I started to like it. Smiling, I finally reached my verdict, "Alright. I can work this."

"You and me both, sister!" Mari cried, landing next to me and throwing an arm around my shoulders.

"You guys look great!" Yuffie agreed, giving us an approving thumbs up.

"Now, now, these clothes are much more than just a nice outfit. They have special properties woven into them. Also, in your case Hikari, I've given you a little something extra," Merlin said enticingly.

"Something extra?" I asked, interest peaked.

"Yes indeed. Did you know that as a wielder, you have the power to use magic?" Merlin asked.

Whoa. No way. Magic?

"You're joking," I said instantly, "Magic? Me?"

"I most certainly am not. Now, close your eyes," Merlin told me, and when I didn't do as asked right away, he continued, "Go on."

I looked over at Mari, who gave me a thumbs up, "You got this, Hikari. Just don't make me too jealous."

Sighing, I closed my eyes.

"Very good. Now, to control magic, one must first understand that it cannot be controlled. It can only be molded, used as an extension of yourself," Merlin instructed, "Now, breathe in, then breathe out, and look inside yourself for the power that is inside you."

Breathe in. Breathe out.

It was like meditating, I decided. And it was actually working. Turning my mind inwards was a little difficult at first, but remembering the breathe in, breathe out chant helped keep me focused on my goal. and steadily, I continued to push deeper.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

"Hello, Hikari."

My eyes snapped open, and to my stupefied shock, I found I wasn't inside Merlin's house anymore. No. I was standing, once again, on a stained glass mural of my mother, in a vast and empty void. And standing across from me, silent and unmoving, was the strange figure I had once seen in a dream.

"Cloak," I breathed.

"I see in one way, you remember me," Cloak commented, breaking it's silence.

"You . . . but this was just a dream!" I shouted, bewildered beyond belief, "There's no way I could be here!"

"Dreams are sometimes portents into another world, though we don't always recognize it," Cloak said cryptically, "In any case, idle chit-chat is not why you are here. You are here to learn magic."

"What?" I asked involuntarily. How could it have known about that?

"Magic," Cloak repeated, "You already have the talent. Now you must learn."

Cloak extended an arm, palm facing up toward the sky and fingers spread. Suddenly, there was a flash of a bright spark, and a tiny orb of fire lit itself into existence, floating like a ghostly flame in Cloak's open palm.

I stared at it, transfixed. How had he . . . she . . . it, done that?

"Catch."

The words barely registered before Cloak was suddenly lobbing the flame in my direction, and I leapt out of the way just as it hit the ground and _exploded_ into a brilliant ball of orange flame.

"Holy shit!" I shouted as a shower of burning sparks skittered across the glass, jumping this way and that to get out of there way. Rounding on the cloaked figure, I spat, "Could you try aiming somewhere else that isn't my face!"

"This is your training," Cloak said calmly, another orb already dancing in it's hand, "Now, catch."

Again Cloak tossed it, and again, I moved, dodging just as the seemingly harmless little orb descended and blew up into a raging fire ball. The heat I could feel even from here. Crap, I needed to figure something out, or was likely to wind up barbecue!

Cloak shook it's head, disappointment in it's voice as it stated, "You will never learn that way."

"Well, I don't exactly _want_ to learn how to get roasted by a giant fireball, thanks," I retorted, lips curled. Maybe if I could get close enough, I could land a blow. With the keyblade, I may have a chance. But then I noticed that Cloak wasn't where it'd been standing before! The prick was moving as I was moving, keeping me away as he dropped fireballs on my head!

Cloak summoned forth another orb, "That is not what I am trying to teach you. But if you refuse to learn even this simple lesson, then finding your mother will be forever out of your reach."

My breath hitched in my throat, "What do you mean?"

"Catch, and maybe I'll tell you," Cloak goaded, and it threw the orb again.

For a moment, I hesitated. The temptation for knowledge on my mother, any knowledge at all, was mouthwatering, strong enough to keep me rooted to my spot as I contemplated my odds of actually catching the mote. But as the orb of fire descended, as the heat came closer, reason won, and I leapt for safety. Once again, flames erupted behind me, tinting the colored glass a virulent shade of orange as I landed a safe distance away.

"I can see it in your eyes. You want to know. So what is holding you back?" Cloak asked sharply, "Are you, perhaps, afraid?"

I growled, "As if."

"Then why do you hesitate?" Cloak demanded, hurling another orb at me.

I dodged it, running just as the orb exploded behind me. But I barely even got the chance to breathe, as Cloak was already hurling another at me. And still it spoke, "You are. You may not know it, but you are. Afraid of the truth. Afraid of the fact that perhaps your mother never wanted you."

I cringed as I leapt aside, feeling a sharp twist in my heart at Cloak's words. Whatever I might say, that had struck far too close to home. But I wasn't allowed time to recover, as I was forced to keep running as Cloak continued to lob fireball after fireball at me. It was all I could do to keep my balance.

"Maybe it was this very weakness that made her abandon you. Have you ever thought of that? Your refusal to a calling you cannot ignore, and still you run!" Cloak taunted mercilessly, never ceasing on the pressure. And with every explosion, every surge of heat, every cruel jibe, a little bit more of my strength left. I couldn't keep this up for much longer!

Another explosion, and suddenly I found myself being ruthlessly blown off my feet, hitting the ground hard as burning embers scattered around me, flickering for only moments before dying into ash. Ears ringing, swaying as I struggled to my feet, my mind worked frantically to try and figure out what had just happened.

I hadn't been quick enough, that was the only explanation. Which meant Cloak, once again, had me right where it wanted me. Cornered.

I gritted my teeth, anger burning it's way to the surface. No! I refused to let this happen again!

"I imagine," Cloak said coldly, interrupting my thoughts as fire danced around it's fingers, "That she must be very disappointed in you."

Time seemed to stand still as those words hit me right at my core. But I did not feel sorrow. I did not feel pain. I did not feel horror.

What I did feel was _rage_.

"How dare you," I hissed, keyblade flashing into existence at my side, "How dare you talk as if you know anything _about her_!"

Cloak stared and spoke plainly and simply, "Perhaps I know far more than you think."

And it raised it's hand and threw the fire for all it was worth. This one was bigger than all the others had been. This could incinerate me without even trying. But I was not running away this time. This guy wanted me to catch fire?

Then let me catch _fire_!

Swinging my keyblade to my side, eyes blazing with ferocity, I ran forward, pushing all doubt out of my mind as I my eyes locked onto the burning inferno barreling toward me.

"I'll make one thing clear to you right now, Cloak," I shouted passionately, the fire right on top of me, "You can claim to know my mother all you want, but if you think I'll believe that, you've got another thing coming! And you want to know something else!"

Heels digging into the glass, I swung my blade with all of my might, the ornate tip digging through the flames as if it were flesh. But it did more than that. The fire swirled and bent, and the heat I felt died. The roiling flames wreathed themselves along my keyblade, writhing and twisting with a barely contained fury that begged to be unleashed. And unleash it I would, because now _I _was the one in control. _I_ was the one playing with fire. Spinning full circle, I built up momentum, gearing myself up to swing, both hands clasped tight on the handle of my blade.

And right before I swung, before I sent all that power at the one who'd mocked me, I shouted, "You don't know a single, god damn thing ABOUT _ME!_"

_FWOOOSH!_

A torrent of fire went flying from the tip of the keyblade, and the force was so incredible I was pushed back, feet sliding across the ground. The light was so blinding I had to close my eyes, tears springing into them even then. And in the chaos, I missed the small, satisfied smile that played out on Cloak's lips.

All at once, it stopped. The bright, intense light vanished, the smell of smoke disappeared, and the pain in my limbs receded to nothing.

Next to me, a gasp of surprise and awe snapped me out of my daze, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Hikari, LOOK!"

"Wow," someone else murmured.

"That was fast," another commented.

I opened my eyes, for a moment feeling very, very confused. How did I get here? Where the hell had I been? Then it all came back to me. We were on another world, at Merlin's house, learning magic. Magic . . .

And then I blinked. And I stared.

My keyblade was held in front of me, both my hands curled tight around the handle, and hovering just above the tip was a small orb of fire. I gazed at it, astounded. Had I done that?

"Wow . . ." I breathed.

Merlin clapped his hands, beaming proudly, "Well done, my dear! Absolutely astounding! Not even Sora, bless his heart, learned this quickly! You have a natural born talent, Hikari, a true knack!"

"Uh . . . thanks," I said, still enraptured by the flame. I did it. I created fire! _I did it_! Whose laughing now, you red-haired freak?

"YES!" I shouted, barely able to contain my excitement. And then the little ball of fire quite unexpectedly exploded, sending sparks showering all over the gathered audience.

"AAH!" Yuffie cried, batting at the sparks that landed on her hands.

"JESUS!" Cid yelled in surprise, backpedaling away from the sudden heat.

"Aaaah, fire's in _my face_, _AAAAAHHH_!" Mari screamed, running around like a headless chicken as she frantically tried to beat out the fire that had started in her hair.

"Oh good heavens, my books!" Merlin cried, quickly setting out to rescue the now on-fire tomes.

I winced, "Oops."

Amid the panic, I briefly thought back to my meditative trance I'd been in. I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something . . . something important.

But Mari's panicked yells quickly drew me away from those thoughts, so, quickly dismissing my keyblade, I ran to help her, "Okay, I'll help, but stop rolling around!"

In the reflection of the window, unseen by all, a cloaked figure smiled, "_Well done, Hikari. I look forward to seeing you again._"

* * *

So, that's that. Hikari has some answers and she's got MAGIC BABY! Next chapter begins the first real fighting. You read right._ Real_ fighting.

Rate and Review, if it pleases you. :)


End file.
